Martin Oil hosted Barkman Oil in a battle of the two George B. Kelley Federation teams with oil company sponsors, on Saturday afternoon. Barkman Oil from the Martinsburg area went home with the first win in the series with a come-from behind 9-4 triumph.
In a game that could go far toward determining who gets the top seed at the end of the regular season for the Kelley playoffs, and a bye through the first round, Martin Oil took command early with a pair of runs in the first, but Barkman (11-2) came back to twice tie the game at 2-2 and 4-4 and then added five runs in their final two at-bats to run away with the win.
Martin Oil second baseman Brandon Beech reached second base on one of five errors committed by Barkman Oil to open the home half of the first, and Dustin Harris lined a single into left field to get Beech home with the first run of the game. Harris took second on the throw to get Beech, then advanced to third on a long fly out by Earnie Kelley and scored on a base hit by Chad Coho.
In the second, third and fourth innings, Barkman put the first two hitters on base against Kelley, who pitched the first six innings. In the second, Kelley then reached back and fanned two straight batters and got the third out on a pop fly behind first base.
The Barkman squad was able to tie the score in the top of the third however. Jared Snowberger walked and eventually scored on a passed ball. Tyler Nash singled and scored on a pitcher to first groundout that was hit slowly down the first-base line.
Martin Oil scored twice with two outs in the bottom of the third to retake a two-run lead. Alex Miller beat out an infield single and went to second when the throw to first was wild. A clutch double over the left fielder’s head by Garrett Rabold scored Miller. Right-handed batter Andy Alley singled the opposite way through the gap between first and second to get Rabold home.
Barkman Oil starter Nate Detwiler took over the game at that point, shutting out Martin Oil over the final four innings to pick up the victory. Detwiler struck out six, walked three and held the hard-hitting Martin Oil crew to six hits, their lowest total of the season, and just two earned runs.
Cody Stiffey doubled and scored on an error in the fourth, and Nash was hit by a pitch and scored on a single by Josh Greenleaf to tie the game an inning later.
Barkman Oil took their first lead in the sixth, when pinch hitter Josh Brumbaugh doubled and scored on a single by Nash.
In the top of the seventh, Barkman put it away with a four-spot, that included a two-run double by Caleb Johnson.
Kelley, who took the loss, allowed nine hits, but just three earned runs, with five strikeouts and three walks and one hit batsman. Chris Alley pitched the seventh giving up four runs, one earned on three hits with one walk and no Ks.
Stiffey led Barkman Oil with three hits, while Nash and Greenleaf each added two base hits.
Of the nine runs scored by Barkman Oil, four reached base on a walk, hit batter, or error.
Martin Oil (9-2), which had a game against Dick’s Pharmacy on Sunday postponed by the rainy weather, will travel to Martinsburg to play Barkman Oil today at 6 p.m., weather permitting
Barkman Oil 9 Martin Oil 4
Barkman Oil – Snowberger, ss, 2-1-0; Nash, 1b, 3-3-2; Johnson, c, 5-0-1; Detwiler, p, 4-0-1; A. Blough, cr, 0-0-0; Green leaf, lf, 4-0-2; Stiffey, cf, 4-2-3; Dick, 2b, 4-0-1; R. Blough, rf, 4-1-0; Hardy, 3b, 2-1-1; Brumbaugh, ph, 1-1-1. TOTALS 33-9-12.
Martin Oil – Beech, 2b, 2-1-1; Harris, cf, 4-1-1; Kelley, p-1b, 4-0-0; Coho, 3b, 4-0-1; C. Alley, ss-p, 2-0-0; Miller, lf, 3-1-1; Rabold, 1b-rf, 3-1-1; A. Alley, c, 1-0-1; Drost, 1b-ss, 1-0-0; Schilling, rf, 1-0-0; Brunner, c, 2-0-0. TOTALS 27-4-6.
Barkman Oil 002 111 4 9-12-5.
Martin Oil 202 000 0 4- 6-4.
2B: Johnson, Stiffey, Rabold.
RBI: Johnson 2, Snowberger, Nash, Detwiler, Greenleaf, Hardy, Harris, Coho, Rabold, A. Alley.
SO: Detwiler 6, Kelley 5.
BB: Detwiler 3, Kelley 3, Alley 1.
WP: Detwiler LP: Kelley
