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Can’t catch me
Martin Oil pitcher Nate Gray tosses the ball over Corporal Miller’s Tyler Hopkins head to catcher Jake Manning when Hopkins was caught between third base and home on Thursday at Bellwood. Hopkins was out at the plate. (The Daily Herald/Stacey Manning) |
Martin Oil scored in every inning at Stadium Drive Field against Corporal Miller on Thursday evening in George B. Kelley Federation baseball, it just wasn’t enough however as Cpl. Miller put up four runs in the top of the seventh and held on to edge Martin Oil 16-15 in a marathon game.
Buddy Durbin, who reached base five straight times, walked to begin the final-inning uprising for Cpl. Miller, and winning pitcher Andy Criste ripped a double. Tyler Hopkins hit into a fielder’s choice and both runners scored on an error to get Cpl. Miller into a 12-12 tie. Ryan Murphy, who had a bad-hop bases-loaded single that emptied the bases earlier singled. Dan Pryne hit into a fielders choice to eliminate Hopkins at the plate for the first out. Jordan Cheslock then drilled a double to plate both Murphy and Pryne with what proved to be the winning runs.
In their last chance, Martin Oil got a single from Brian Hostler and double by Nate Gray to score one run. Gray came around to eventually score on an error to slice the Cpl. Miller lead to 16-15, but Criste got a strikeout and long fly out to nail down the win.
Martin Oil outhit Corporal 13-10, but in the end, couldn’t overcome the wildness of their pitching staff. Three Martin Oil hurlers combined to hit two batters, walked 10 and threw eight wild pitches, and the defense committed three errors, to keep Cpl. Miller in the game. Cpl. Miller scored their first 12 runs with just five hits.
Jake Manning got the Martin Oil squad going in the first inning by singling to left. Hostler belted a double to send Manning to third, where Gray scored him with a sacrifice fly. In the second, Chad Coho and Justin Miller walked. Jimmy Watters’ sacrifice bunt moved both up a base and Adam Kovac scored Coho with a sac fly.
Martin Oil scored four times in the third, with a Manning single and Hostler double again setting the table. Gray singled in both runners and then scored on a double by Cameron Irvin. A Chad Coho base hit completed the scoring getting Irvin home.
Martin Oil tallied three more runs in the fourth inning. Kovac reached on one of six errors by Cpl. Miller, went to second on a passed ball and third on a wild pitch, before Hostler scored him with a sacrifice fly. Gray drew a base on balls and Irvin slammed a pitch over the 30-foot high screen in dead center field for a two-run home run.
In the fifth, Martin Oil kept up the offense. Coho doubled and came home when Kovac struck out, but reached first when the Cpl. Miller catcher couldn’t hold onto the third strike from Criste.
Finally setting the stage for the seventh inning, Martin Oil put three more runs on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Hostler led off the frame with a bunt single. Gray walked. Hostler scored on one error and Gray scored on another before Miller’s single scored Jared Coho, running for Irvin, who had been safe on the second miscue of the inning.
Martin Oil was led on offense by Hostler with a double and three singles, in addition to a sac fly that scored a run. Gray drove in four runs with a single and double and sac fly, Jake Manning singled twice, Chad Coho had a single and double, and Irvin had a double and homer and three RBI.
