 |
 |
Fleming County spoils Senior Night with 13-1 win over St. Patrick
Wednesday, April 30, 2008 8:41 PM EDT
The Saints honored their trio of seniors, Nick Anderson, Chris Owens and Jon Stwarka, prior to the game, which was halted after five innings because of the 10-run mercy rule.
Coach Mallory Denham spoke of his senior trio after the game.
"All three are great athletes, who each bring a different dimension to the team. They have been the backbone of this program for the last four or five years," Denham said. "It's been a tough year for them, but there's no quit in any of the three, and they always give me 100 percent."
Owens exemplified the effort Denham described by breaking up a potential no-hitter in the fourth inning. The slick-fielding shortstop lined a Heath Mineer pitch into the left field corner for a double and scored from second base on a groundout to shortstop Joe Hunt, sliding safely into home plate for the lone Saints tally. Owens' double would also represent the only St. Patrick hit of the game against the sophomore righthander.
However, it was far too little, too late, for the 1-11 Saints, which has seen its roster dwindle to 11 players due to injuries.
"We're down to just 11 players and a few others that are playing are still battling hurt arms," said Denham. "We have a very young and inexperienced team now and we're struggling hitting the ball."
On the other hand, the Panthers (8-9) took advantage of a pair of Saints errors in the second inning to score three runs, before utilizing the long ball in the ensuing two innings.
Sophomore third baseman Tyler Newsom opened the second with a two-base hit into the right field corner, the first hit of his perfect night at the plate, which included a high drive over the fence in left-center for a three-run bomb in the third. Following a groundout that moved Newsom to third base, an error scored him with the first run of the game. Another miscue came after eighth-grader Jonathan Litzinger recorded a strikeout, and freshman catcher Zach McRoberts followed with a two-run double into the gap in right-center field.
Newsom's home run provided the Panthers with all three of their runs in the third, following a single by Daniel Harmon and another St. Patrick error.
Fleming County coach Brad Price was pleased with the win and how well his team performed at the plate.
"Tyler took a year off from baseball last year and he's really starting to get into the groove now. He also got to play in the field today and we need him to do that for us," said Price. "I'm proud of the kids, they did what we asked of them and played hard today. Everybody got to play and they all did a good job."
The second Panther three-run homer came in the fourth inning, when sophomore Matthew Jolly rocketed a Stwarka pitch over the left field fence. The senior lefthander came on in relief of Litzinger after Austin Hart reached on an error, and Steven Mitchell and Andrew Earlywine both singled. Newsom then singled before Chris Smoot doubled into left-center, setting up Jolly's three-run shot.
"That was the first home run of Matthew's career and it would probably been gone at our place too," said Price, who was also encouraged by Mineer's performance on the mound. "Heath threw the ball really well today, he threw strikes and a five-inning one-hitter is pretty good."
Mineer struck out four, did not walk a batter, and wriggled out of a possible Saints rally in the first inning. After plunking Stwarka with a pitch and getting a forceout, Owens reached on an error, giving the Saints runners on the corners with one out.
The potential rally was snuffed out when McRoberts cut down Owens attempting to steal second and Mineer helped himself by leaping for a hard-hit one-hopper back to the mound to retire Andy Clarke.
The Panthers return to action Friday when they host West Carter, while the Saints are off until Monday, when they travel to Lewis County.
Fleming Co. 033 61 13 12 1
St. Patrick 000 10 1 1 6
WP -- Mineer, LP -- Litzinger.
Hitting leaders: FC -- Harmon 1-2, R; Mitchell 2-2, 2R; Earlywine 1-3, 2R, RBI; Newsom 3-3, 2B, HR, 3RBI; Smoot 2-3, 2 2B, R, 2RBI; Jolly 1-3, 2R, HR, 3RBI; McRoberts 1-3, 2B, 2RBI. SP -- Owens 1-2, 2B, R, Clarke RBI.
Records: Fleming County 8-9, St. Patrick 1-11.
Copyright © 2008 Maysville Newspapers, Inc., A Lee Enterprises Publication This site is protected by applicable copyright laws and no part may be reproduced, transmitted or used in any way other than its intended purpose without the prior written permission of The Ledger Independent. Click here to view The Ledger Independent's privacy policy. |