As the weather begin to look better, the chances of the Bellwood-Antis baseball team suddenly began to look dim.
Playing at Martinsburg, on Saturday afternoon, the Blue Devils took an early 3-0 lead, only to see a season-long problem crop up once again. Actually it was more like two problems, that compounded into a horrendous bottom of the third inning, in which Central sent 11 batters to the plate and scored eight runs on just one hit, on the way to an 11-3 over Bellwood-Antis.
With the start of the game pushed back an hour from its scheduled 12 Noon start to avoid the morning showers and allow the field to drain, the Blue Devils opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the second, and then added a third tally an inning later to go up 3-0.
B-A starting pitcher Chad Coho led off the second stanza with a single to center. Nate Gray pushed Jake Manning, courtesy running for Coho, to second base with a perfect sacrifice bunt. Right fielder L. J. Seidel and catcher Blaze Winterstein then belted back-to-back doubles, with Manning scoring on Seidel’s hit, and Seidel coming home on Winterstein’s base knock.
In the third inning, B-A second baseman Justin Manning lined a single up the middle to open the frame. Josh Kleinfelter replaced Manning on the bases after hitting into a fielder’s choice play. Kleinfelter went to second on an error by the Scarlet Dragons second baseman on a grounder by Earnie Kelley and then scored on an error by Central shortstop Nate Hale on the same play. Brandon Beech walked and Coho hit into a fielder’s choice that scored Kleinfelter.
Coho, who had walked two batters in both the first and second innings, but was able to avoid trouble, got the first two hitters out in the third before the wheels fell off. Coho walked four straight hitters to force in one run, then hit a batter to bring in another. Bellwood-Antis head coach Steve Conlon brought in sophomore Justin Miller in relief, who also had trouble throwing strikes, walking two straight batters to give Central a 4-3 lead. Dragon catcher Caleb Johnson then got the only hit of the inning, unloading a grand slam home run over the right field fence, to give Central an 8-3 lead. Jake Manning came on in relief at that point, to record a strikeout for the final out of the inning.
Central added a single run in the fourth on a walk, stolen base and Kody Stiffey RBI single and two in the fifth on a pinch-hit double by Zack Brumbaugh.
The Blue Devils managed a base hit in three of their final four at-bats, but couldn’t get a runner past second base.
L. J. Seidel and Blaze Winterstein led the Blue Devils with each hitting a single and double and driving in one RBI.
Coho took the loss, giving up just one hit, an infield single, but walking eight and hitting a batter, while striking out two, giving up five runs. Justin Miller gave up three runs on one hit, Johnson’s dinger, with two walks and did not retire a batter. Jake Manning gave up three runs on five hits, with three strikeouts and one walk in three and 1/3 innings on the mound.
Brain Dougherty pitched a 1-2-3 scoreless sixth inning for the Blue Devils.
Freshman Derek Forshey and Johnson each had two hits for Central.
Tyler Nash picked up the win, yielding three runs, two earned, on six hits, with two strikeouts and two walks. Cody Bridenbaugh pitched two scoreless innings to complete the game, with one hit, four strikeouts and no walks, picking up a save.
“We played good baseball for the first couple innings,” said Conlon. “The was gave up that one big inning. Pitchers can’t give up 11 walks and expect to win baseball games. Their (Central) pitching staff limited the amount of walks and they held us down in runs. We just gave up too many walks today.”
Central 11 Bellwood-Antis 3
Bellwood-Antis – Ju. Manning, 2b, 3-0-1; Kleinfelter, lf, 4-1-0; Kelley, 1b, 2-0-0, Wertz, 1b, 1-0-0; Beech, 3b, 2-0-1; Coho, p, 2-0-1; J. Miller, p, 0-0-0, Ja. Manning, cr-p, 1-1-0; Dougherty, p, 0-0-0; Gray, cf, 2-0-0; Seidel, rf, 3-1-2; Kovac, rf, 0-0-0; Winterstein, c, 3-0-2; Alley, ss, 2-0-0; Irvin, ph, 1-0-0; Mock, ss, 0-0-0. TOTALS 26-307.
Central – Hale, ss, 4-1-0; Forshey, rf, 3-2-2; Johnson, c, 4-1-2; Ewart, cr, 0-0-0; Dick, 3b, 3-1-0; Nash, p, Bridenbaugh, p 0-0-0; 1-0-0; Walters, cr, 0-2-0; Blough, 2b, 2-1-0; Brumbaugh, 1-0-1, Miller, pr, 0-0-0; Stiffey, cf, 3-1-1; Lanzandorfer, 1b, 1-1-1; Russell, ph, 1-0-0; Greenleaf, lf, 2-1-0.
Bellwood-Antis 021 000 0 3-7-0.
Central 008 120 X 11-7-2
2B: Seidel, Winterstein, Brumbaugh.
HR: Johnson (grand slam).
RBI: Coho, Seidel, Winterstein, Johnson 4, Brumbaugh 2, Hale, Forshey, Blough, Stiffey, Lanzandorfer, Greenleaf.
SO: Coho 2, Ja. Manning 3, Nash 2, Bridenbaugh 4.
BB: Coho 8, J. Miller 2, Ja. Manning 1, Nash 2.
WP: Nash LP: Coho Save: Bridenbaugh
