Published: August 12, 2009 11:34 pm      

Toledo stays alive

The Toledo Monarchs hung on to defeat the Columbus Ohio Bandits 6-4 late Wednesday afternoon in a AAABA Tournament game that began at noon in Revloc and concluded at Lilly-Washington Township Memorial Field at Lilly.

The win gave the Monarchs a 2-1 record heading into today’s game against Zanesville. The Bandits go home with a 1-2 chart.

The game was still in the top of the first inning at Revloc when the pitcher’s mound was deemed unplayable. Umpires determined that a depression on the mound where the pitcher planted his follow-up foot had the potential to result in an injury.

The teams packed up their belongings and made the journey to Lilly, with the game resuming at 1:45 p.m.

Toledo manager Dale Gray was relieved when the game ended shortly before 4:30 p.m.

“I feel like I’ve been here (northern part of Cambria County) for two days,” he said.

He said the Monarchs began the game hitting and pitching well.

“We were hitting the ball and playing good defense,” he said.

He gave credit to the Bandits, who stayed in the game the whole way. Their two runs in the bottom of the ninth set the final score.

Gray said his starting pitcher, Patrick Ludwig, gave the team

71/3 strong innings.

He gave way to Dan Rhodes in the eighth inning, who induced Columbus’ Elliott Williams to ground into a double play.

Rhodes surrendered the Bandits’ two ninth-inning tallies when Andrew Podolak singled up the middle, scoring Mark Elwell and Tom Touris, who reached on a walk and an error, respectively. After that, Jordan Chiero popped to short and Robert Howell flied to right, bringing the game to an end.

Toledo scored three first-inning tallies. Cody Grice doubled, with Seth Willoughby and Benjamin Magsig scoring after walks. Nate Sarkissian doubled, driving in Grice.

After Columbus scored one run in the bottom of the first, the Monarchs countered with two in the top of the second, with both runs crossing the plate on a single by Sarkissian.

Toledo added a run in the top of the fourth. Ricardo Lizcano’s single brought in Grice, who reached when the Bandits’ catcher, K.C. Weber, dropped the ball after Grice struck out.

Columbus scored a run in the bottom of the fourth when Elwell’s bases-loaded single drove in Howell.

That ended the scoring until the Bandits narrowed the gap with their two ninth-inning tallies.