As Martin Oil continues to be successful, the rest of the teams in the George B. Kelley Federation will try increasingly to stop their win streak. On Friday evening at Bellwood, it seemed as if the team trying hardest to stop the streak was Martin Oil.
Overcoming 3-0 and 6-1 deficits was only one mountain that had to be climbed. Martin Oil, which eventually would defeat Locker Room 13-9, committed eight errors that had to be overcome. Three Martin Oil pitchers gave up only one earned run all game, but were constantly forced to deal with base runners put on base by their own fielders.
Locker Room scored three times in the first inning to open the game, with the help of two errors and a walk and got one break when Travis Wilt doubled home a run, but was out trying to stretch his base hit into a triple.
Earnie Kelley got one quick run back by leading off the Martin Oil first with a solo home run.
In the third inning, three Martin Oil errors helped Locker Room to out another three-spot up on the scoreboard to jump the lead to 6-1. Nick Yon had the only hit in the frame scoring Joey Ulsh with an RBI single to right.
Martin Oil sliced the lead to 6-5 with four tallies in the home half of the third, the first of three straight innings in which they would score four times.
In the third, Dustin Harris walked, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch and came home on a Kyle Drost single. Drost scored on another wild pitch. Chris Alley doubled and Alex Miller walked. Alley scored on a Locker Room error, their only miscue of the day. Brian Dougherty singled in Miller to cut the lead to 6-5.
One inning later, Kelley doubled and scored on a single by Harris. Drost legged out his second infield base hit. Troy Brunner lined a single down the left field line to score Harris, Alley singled in Drost and Chad Coho got Brunner home with a sacrifice fly.
Continuing their rampage, Garrett Rabold opened the fifth with a single to left, and Kelley singled to center. Harris erased Rabold on a fielder’s choice. Drost drilled a single to left center to score both Kelley and Harris. Brunner struck out, but reached first when the ball rolled to the backstop. Drost scored on a wild pitch. Alley cracked a double over the left fielder’s head to drive in Brunner and put Martin Oil ahead 13-9.
Alley pitched the final three innings to pick up the win, striking out four and walking three. Brunner was the starter for Martin Oil going two innings, allowing three runs, all unearned with two Ks and one walk. Dustin Harris tossed the third and fourth innings, allowing six runs, only one earned with a pair of strikeouts and one base on balls.
“The pitching wasn’t bad, we just didn’t play good defense the first four innings,” explained Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “Then Alley came in and shut them down for three innings, till we could get back ahead. We needed that. It was tied 9-9 when he came in. Fortunately he had control of it and that was the way it ended.”
Travis Wilt, Joey Ulsh and Nick Yon each had two hits for Locker Room (1-3).
“We were real fortunate, Talk about winning ugly- this was definitely a win ugly ballgame,” said Davis. “When you make eight errors and still win a ballgame, Someone is looking over your shoulder and giving you a little helping hand.
“Fortunately the bats were really big tonight. Earnie had three big hits, Harris had a couple. Kyle really came out of a funk tonight with three big hits. Chris Alley continued to pound the ball with four hits.”
Martin Oil (6-0) is off until Tuesday, when they play Juniata VFW at Juniata at 6 p.m.
Martin Oil 13 Locker Room 9
Locker Room – Coppersmith, ss-p, 4-2-0; McGough, 2b-ss-p, 3-0-0; Wilt, c, 3-2-2; Wood, lf, 1-2-0; Ulsh, cf, 4-2-2; Yon, 3b, 3-1-2; Thompson, 1b, 4-0-1; Ryan, p-2b, 3-0-0; Fanella, 2b, 1-0-0; Dunning, rf, 3-0-0; Sweeney, cr-rf, 0-0-0. TOTALS 29-9-7.
Martin Oil – Kelley, cf, 5-3-3; Harris, lf-p-2b, 4-3-2; Drost, ss, 4-3-3; Brunner, p-lf-c, 3-2-1, Alley, 2b-p, 4-1-4; Coho, 3-0-0; DelGrosso, c, 1-0-0; Miller, dh, 2-0-0; Wertz, cr-lf, 0-0-0; Dougherty, 1b, 2-0-1; Schilling, rf, 1-0-0; Rabold, rf-1b, 3-0-1. TOTALS 32-13-15.
Locker Room 303 300 0 9-7-1.
Martin Oil 104 440 X 13-15-8.
2B: Wilt, Ulsh, Kelley, Alley.
HR: Kelley.
RBI: Ulsh 2, Wilt, Yon, Thompson, Drost 3, Alley 2, Kelley, Harris, Brunner, Coho, Dougherty.
SO: Ryan 2, Coppersmith 1, Brunner 2, Harris 2, Alley 4.
BB: Ryan 3, McGough 1, Brunner 1, Harris 1, Alley 3.
WP: Alley LP: Coppersmith
