Everything clicked for the Martin Oil federation baseball team on Thursday at Bellwood’s Stadium Drive baseball diamond. Martin Oil won for the fifth straight time after opening the season 1-2 using a combination of pitching, hitting and defense.
The offense got starting pitcher Dustin Harris three first-inning runs to work with and that was all Harris and teammate Chris Alley would need. Harris picked up the victory with four strong innings, fanning two and walking one. His only mistake was a pitch Matt Caputo hit up over the 30-foot high fence in left field for a first inning home run, after Harris had retired the first two hitters of the game. Alley pitched the fifth allowing a leadoff single, but then retired three straight hitters.
“I would have to say that this was the best game we have played all year,” acknowledged Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “It all seemed to come together tonight. Dustin went out and gave us four real solid innings and Chris came in and finished it up for us. Defensively we had three or four real nice defensive plays and ended up with no errors.”
The defense made several big plays to keep Hoss’s off the bases. In the second inning, Alley, playing shortstop, grabbed a high-hopper bare-handed almost at the second base bag, and threw in time to nip the runner at first. Right fielder Zach Tomchick went into the gap to take an extra-base hit away from Alex Marchi and then catcher Troy Brunner completed the golden glove show by making a hustling, back-handed catch of a short pop foul to retire the side. Chad Coho also made a tough play on a hard-hit ball at third base in the fifth inning.
Brandon Beech led off the Martin Oli first with a double. Alley walked with one out. Brunner scored both runners with a double and then scored on the hosts’ third doiuble of the inning, by Zach Tomchick to take a 3-0 advantage.
Martin Oil went to sleep on offense for two innings, then got started all over again.
Harris led off the fourth inning by belting a triple and Alex Miller continued his hot-hitting with a single that scored Harris. Beech reached safely on a Hoss’s error and Earnie Kelley singled to bring in both Miller and Beech.
An inning later, Martin Oil plated five more runs to win the game by the 10-run mercy rule after five innings.
Tyler McClellan was safe on an error and Chad Coho walked. Harris doubled for his second straight extra-base hit to score McClellan and Coho scored on a wild pitch. After Beech and Kelley drew bases on balls to load the bases, Alley stroked a single that scored Beech and Kelley to end the game.
“Fortunately, our hitting was very timely tonight,” recounted Davis. “We jumped out with three runs in the first. Then we coasted for two innings, before we got the bats going again. Dustin Harris had a really big night pitching and hitting, Alex Miller just continues to get hits. Chris Alley got off to a slow start offensively, but had two hits to continue to climb his average back up to where it should be. When we are patient at the plate, we make good things happen. That is the key to our offense, when we can make the other pitchers throw more pitches. We just need to keep reminding our players to be selective. Overall, tonight we just played a nice ballgame.”
Martin Oil 11 Hoss’s 1, 5 inn.
Hoss’s – Marasco, p-cf, 3-0-0; Conway, cf, 0-0-0; Harella, 2b, 3-0-1; Segaites, 1b, 0-0-0; Caputo, dh, 3-1-2; Beerbower, 3b, 3-0-1; Smith, lf-p, 3-0-0; Marchi, ss, 2-0-0; Supp, cf-lf, 1-0-1; Winbush, rf, 0-0-0; Barroner, c, 1-0-0; Baird, c, 0-0-0. TOTALS 19-1-5.
Martin Oil – Beech, lf-ss, 3-3-1; Kelley, cf, 3-1-1; Alley, ss-p, 2-1-2; Brunner, c, 3-0-1; Tomchick, rf, 3-0-1; McClellan, 1b, 1-1-0; Coho, 3b, 2-1-0; Harris, p-2b, 3-2-2; Miller, 2b, 2-1-1, Dougherty, cr-lf, 1-1-0. TOTALS 23-11-9.
Hoss’s 100 00 1-5-3.
Martin Oil 300 35 11-9-0.
2B: Beerbower 1, Beech 1, Brunner 1, Tomchick 1, Harris 1.
3B: Harris 1.
HR: Caputo 1.
RBI: Caputo 1, Kelley 2, Alley 2, Brunner 2, Tomchick 1, Harris 1, Miller 1.
SO: Smith 1, Harris 2, Alley 1.
BB: Marasco 4, Harris 2.
WP: Harris LP: Marasco.
