Trojans defeat Bulldogs
HOWARD — A lot of emphasis is put toward getting runners on base. It also helps to be able to bring them in once there are out there.
The Centerburg High School baseball team did a good job of bringing runs in during its’ 7-4 win over Mid-Buckeye Conference foe East Knox on Monday afternoon. The Bulldogs were plagued by errors in the field, which gave the Trojans they few extra chances which they needed.
“It was really big for us to be able to bring the guys around once we had them on,” said Centerburg head coach Joe Smith. “That’s been a bit of a problem for us all season. We’ve been needing to get the ball in play, and let things happen for us.”
East Knox (2-2, 0-1 MBC) got on the board first in the bottom of the first inning. Justin Thompson hit a single to lead things off, and reached third after a fielding error. Matt Lumbatis grounded out on the next play, but it was enough to score Thompson and give the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead.
The Trojans (3-3, 1-0 MBC) managed to get their offense going in the bottom of the third. They began the inning with three singles to load the bases. Chris Fielding hit a double, which scored one run, but Justin Parker was thrown out at the plate to keep the score tied at 1. Cory Hartfield was thrown out at home during the next at-bat, before Eric Doyle followed with a two-run double, which put Centerburg on top 3-1.
The teams spent the next several innings trading runs, as the Trojans held on to a 5-4 lead entering the final inning. The seventh began with a Hartfield walk, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Fielding. Matt Patrick followed with an RBI triple to make it a 6-4 game. Doyle knocked in Patrick on a fielder’s choice to extend the lead to 7-4. The Bulldogs failed to amass a rally in the bottom of the inning, as Tommy Carrill struck out two batters in sealing the win.
Carrill’s quality work on the mound was prefaced by Ethan Burson, who picked up the victory for Centerburg in his first start of the season.
“Our pitching was really there for us today,” said Smith. “Ethan did a good job for us in his first start. We weren’t sure quite what to expect. Then Carrill has kind of come out of nowhere for us this season, but he’s already been big for us in that relief role.”
Doyle led the way for the Trojans as he went 2-for-4 with three RBI on the day. Fielding added two hits, two runs and an RBI. Parker and Taylor Schneider each had two hits apiece in the win.
The Bulldogs were led by Lumbatis, who grabbed two RBI without getting a hit. Thompson added two hits and a run scored, as did John Burwell.
“We had a lot of missed opportunities out there today,” said East Knox head coach Jeff Cline. “We stranded a lot of runners out there, and we also looked at way too many quality pitches go by. That’s what really hurt us.
“We also didn’t have our best game defensively. They were a little laid back at times, and that led to mistakes which gave them a good chance to win the game. It just wasn’t a good day for us.”
Both teams will return to action today at 5 p.m. The Trojans will play host to Johnstown, while the Bulldogs will make the trip right down the road to face rival Danville.
