The Versailles Republican Sports
May 20,
2010
Milan Indians find gratifying reason
to beat their drums on Warpath Drive
Gary Franklin, Sports Writer
Though hit and miss rain has denied many scheduled games being
played on both the girls' softball and boys' baseball fields
of late, the visiting Jac-Cen-Del Eagle varsity baseball team
saw their lead in the ORVC race dwindle after competing to
the bottom of the eighth inning against the hosting Milan
Indians on Friday evening, May 14.
Pitchers on the mound for the two teams competion pitted JCD
Eagle senior Dalton Garnett against Milan Indian senior Derek
Walker.
Indian hurler Walker and his defensive co-hearts limited the
Eagles to just three batters before coming to the plate for
their first inning opportunity to score. However, lead off
batter for the Eagles Derek Lunsford reached after being hit
by a pitch and accounted for the third out of the at bat as
he attempted to steal home on a fly to second base found him
gunned down at the plate.
The Eagles would not relent to the Indian atempt, however
Indian Walker nailed a stand up double before the tribe was
retired with four batters entering the batters box.
The Eagles second inning at bat found senior Trent Tucker
drawing a walk, later followed by a single off the bat of
Dalton Garnett, before the team was retired without a score
on the scoreboard.
The tribe however gained a one run lead in their at bat with
a single off the bat of senior Grayson Miller after one out,
followed by a double by Cody Strunk for the RBI.
In the Eagle at bat during the third inning, senior Zach Kappes
reached on an errror, but was left on base as they were retired.
In the bottom of the third, the Indians lead off batter Stites
was hit by a Garnett pitch, sending him to first, but following
his advance to second, the tribe was again retired.
The Eagles struck for paydirt, knotting the game at one after
two outs as senior Daniel Harlemert scored off his walk, followed
by a Garnett RBI single, senior Brandon Wilhoit's drawing
the second walk in the inning, followed by a hard hit Brock
Shadday line drive, that was handled by the Indian third baseman
to end the Eagle threat of taking the lead.
Indian Strunk reached base with a single following two outs
in the bottom of the fourth inning, where he was left as the
third out followed off the at bat of Zeth O'Neal.
Indian Walker and the tribe shot the Eagles down one, two,
three in the top of the fifth before sending eight batters
to the batters box in their at bat in the bottom of the inning,
scoring four runs for a five to one lead.
Indian Cory Strunk went down to the strike out to open their
at bat. Stites drew a walk, followed by a double by senior
Nick Lohrum, leaving runners at second and third, one out.
With a decision made to pitch to Walker as senior Zach Elza
followed him in the lineup, Walker's swing resulted in a three
run home run over the right-center field fence.
Elza continued with a double before the Eagles managed to
get a second out. Senior Miller delivered an RBI single to
put them up four at five to one before Cody Strunk went down
via the K.
Unwilling to cry uncle, the Eagles met in front of their dugout
and collectively met the challenge as they took their at bat
in the tiop of the sixth.
Trevor Arnett opened the Eagle sixth inning with a solid single,
Tucker singled as did Harlemert, leading to a double by Garnett.
Senior Brandon Wilhoit's groundout allowed another Eagle run
to cross the plate. A single by Shadday led to a walk to Lunsford
a pair of fielder choice strokes by senior Zach Kappes and
Shane Adams with inning leadoff batter Arnett ending the illusive
inning with a K, the game tied at five.
Walker was taken off the mound after 5 1/3 innings with senior
Zach Elza called to compete in relief where he pitched 2 2/3
innings.
JCD held firm in the bottom of the sixth, retiring the tribe
one, two, three.
Elza's work in the top of the seventh allowed two Eagles to
reach base, with neither able to cross the plate before being
retired.
Eagle Garnett, and the defensive alignment behind him, again
retired the tribe one two three.
Game tied after seven complete innings 5-5
Eagle Brock Shadday led off in the top of the eighth, flying
out to left field on a hard hit ball. Lunsford grounded out
to second for out number two. Kappes was hit by the pitch
delivery of Elza, putting a potential winning run on the basepath,
but a Adams' fly out to center field ended the Eagle extended
inning threat.
The Indians, however, had found new hope and driven determination
to take advantage of the opportunity afforded them.
Alex Layden led off the inning with a single and teammate
Miller followed also laying down a single with both advancing
a base as Cody Strunk took his at bat.
Strunk made contact, but a routine check the runner and throw
out down to first ended up as a Tucker handling error, allowing
the winning run in Layden to cross the plate, ending the game,
Milan 7-6 over JCD.
Either way, the game's outcome was going to be a heartbreaker
for the loser and quite possibly an ORVC conference championship
determiner.
Only time will find the true affect of the outcome holds for
the teams.
Milan vs JCD
Raider Batting
Bret Stites -
2AB, HBP & a Walk
Nick Lohrum -
4AB, K, double & a Run
Derek Walker -
4AB, double, Home Run, K & 3 RBI's
Zach Elza -
4AB, Run & a double
Alex Layden -
3AB, a Run, Sgl & HBP
Grayson Miller -
4AB, Run, with 3 Singles
Zach Lewis -
0AB
Cody Strunk -
4AB, Sgl, Double & a K
Zeth O'Neal -
3AB
Zach Turner -
0AB
Cory Strunk -
3 AB with 3 K's
Indian Pitching
Senior Indian Derek Walker pitched 5 2/3 innings with senior
teammate Zach Elza coming on in relief for 2 2/3 innings in
the Indian 6-5 eight inning win.
Eagle Batting
Derek Lunsford -
3AB, Walk, HBP, SB & a PO
Zach Kappes -
3AB, RBI, Walk, Sac with 4 PO's
Shane Adams -
5AB, K & 3 PO's
Trevor Arnett -
4AB, Run, Sgl, & a K
Trent Tucker -
3AB, Run, Walk, Sgl & 4 PO's
Daniel Harlemert -
3AB, 2 Runs, 2 Sgl's, a K, Walk, 2 SB & a PO
Dalton Garnett -
4AB, 3 Sgls, Double, Run, 3 RBI's and 2 PO's
Ryan Schuler -
0AB
Brandon Wilhoit -
3AB, Walk, RBI & 6 PO's
Brock Shadday -
3AB, Sgl & a Walk
Tyler Kays -
0AB
Eagle Pitching
Eagle Dalton Garnett went full 8 innings, facing 34 Indian
batters where he gave up 10 hits resulting in 6 runs, 5 earned,
while walking 1 and fanning 6 and gave up a 3 run home run
to Indian senior Derek Walker. Charged with a wild pitch and
hitting two Indian batters at the plate.