Barkman Oil hosted Martin Oil at Martinsburg on Monday night in George B. Kelley federation baseball. For six innings, Barman Oil proved to be a perfect host. In the seventh inning however, Barkman scored three times in the bottom half of the inning to spoil Martin Oil’s upset bid 5-4.
After first two innings were scoreless, Martin Oil came through with a pair of runs for an early 2-0 lead.
Ryan Kenawell opened the frame with a single to left. Starting pitcher Dan Graham bunted Kenawell to second. Chris McDaniel was safe on an error that sent Kenawell to third. With runners on the corners, Andy Brisbin walked to load the bases. After Chris Alley struck out for the second out of the inning, Matt Plummer got Kenawell home with a grounder to short and McDaniel scored when the ball was thrown away.
In the fourth, Barkman Oil used some wildness from Graham, who had retired the first 10 hitters he faced, to tie the game. With one down, Graham hit Eric Snyder with a pitch. Snyder stole second base and continued on to third when Matt Albright’s throw sailed into center field. Graham walked Jeff Curfman and committed a balk to allow Snyder to score. Caleb Johnson reached on a Martin Oil error and Evan Snowberger looped a base hit in front of left fielder McDaniel to load the bases. Graham walked Patterson to force in the tying run, then recovered to get Curt Oliveri to hit into an inning-ending double play.
Martin Oil went right back to work, scoring two more runs to jump back out in front 4-2.
Andy Brisbin dropped a perfect bunt down the third base line and beat it out for a hit to get things started. Alley sacrificed him to second and Plummer walked. Ryan McCartney doubled inside third to score Brisbin and send Plummer to third. Albright got Plummer home with a sacrifice fly to right for a two-run Martin Oil lead.
“All season our kids have gotten on base and then we have trouble getting them home,” said Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “Tonight was another of those heartbreakers.”
Albright singled, Kenawell singled and Graham bunted both into scoring position with one out in the fourth. McCartney was at second after his fifth-inning double .In the sixth, Mark DelGrosso walked and Brisbin singed him to third and ended up at second when the throw went to third to try to get DelGrosso with two outs. Martin Oil couldn’t get any of those runners to score and in the end that cost them the game.
“We didn’t lose this game in the seventh inning,” Davis reminded his team following the game. “We left too many on base. We had this game and then let it slip away from us.”
Barkman Oil came back in their final at bat to take the game away from Martin Oil. After Graham fanned Ryan Bough for the first out of the inning, Scott Zimmerman walked, stole second and advanced to third when the throw was wild. Snyder singled to right to score Zimmerman and then stole second base. Jeff Curfman was safe on a fielder’s choice in which Martin Oil got nobody out, putting runners at first and third. Curfman stole second base. Johnson was safe on an infield hit that scored Snyder with the tying run. Snowberger won the game with his infield out with Curfman scoring the winning run.
“Danny Graham pitched one heck-of-a-game tonight. He didn’t deserve to loss this ballgame,” said Davis. “This was one of the best-pitched games, we have had all year. Danny kept them off the bases pretty well. His curve was really working out there. Andy Brisbin had a beautiful bunt and his single to right moved Mark DelGrosso all the way to third base. We just couldn’t score him. Ryan Kenawell had two more hits, he has been one of the best players we have all season long.”
Martin Oil (7-9) will play a triple-header on Wednesday. At 5:30 p.m., Martin Oil and Locker Room will complete their suspended game with Martin Oil batting and ahead 11-8 in the bottom of the sixth. Then the same two teams will play a regulation game. Then at 8:30, Martin Oil will play Dick’s Pharmacy. All of the games will be at Vets Field.
Barkman Oil 5 Martin Oil 4
MARTIN OIL – Brisbin, 2b, 3-1-2; Alley, ss, 3-0-0; Plummer, 3b, 3-1-0; McCartney, 1b, 4-0-1; Albright, c, 3-0-1; Tomchick, cr, 0-0-0; Drost, cf, 3-0-0; Kenawell rf, 3-1-2; Graham, p, 1-0-0; McDaniel, lf, 2-1-0; DelGrosso, cr, ph, 0-0-0. TOTALS 25-4-6.
BARKMAN OIL – Zimmerman, ss, 3-1-1; Snyder, cf-p, 2-2-1; Curfman, 3b, 3-2-0; Johnson, c, 4-0-1; Snowberger, p-lf, 4-0-2; Patterson, lf-cf, 2-0-0; Oliveri, 2b, 3-0-0; Detwiler, 1b, 2-0-0; Lanzandorfer, ph, 1-0-0; Blough, rf, 3-0-1. TOTALS 27-5-6.
Martin Oil 002 020 0 4-6-4.
Barkman Oil 000 200 3 5-6-2.
2B: McCartney 1.
RBI: Plummer 1, McCartney 1, Albright 1, Snyder 1, Johnson 1, Snowberger 1, Patterson 1.
SO: Graham 8, Snowberger 4, Snyder 3.
BB: Graham 4, Snowberger 2, Snyder 1.
WP: Snyder LP: Graham.
