Published: August 12, 2008 12:07 am      

Pitching lifts Maryland State

Maryland State played just well enough on Monday to send Schenectady to the loser’s bracket on a 5-2 decision at Franklin Field.

“It wasn’t pretty, but a win is a win,” conceded Columbia Reds manager Paul Donovan. “We just pitched a little better than they did, and we hit a little better than they did.”

Maryland scored all the runs it needed in the third inning. Ben Winter walked, and back-to-back singles from Austin Harclerode and Matt Schrader loaded the bases. Then, Josh Winter drove the ball to the center-field fence for a three-run double.

Schenectady answered with a run in the top of the fourth after Jordan Emerson walked, stole second, advanced on Dan Conley’s sacrifice fly and scored on David Raczka’s single.

But, the Reds restored their lead in the fifth, when Harclerode reached on a fielder’s choice, eventually scoring from second on Josh Winter’s single.

PNA got another run in the sixth. Conley’s singled, advanced on Raczka’s deep single to center and came home on a fielding error there.

The Reds loaded the bases again with none out in the seventh, but PNA starter Ken Cook eluded the danger without yielding a run. When Cook gave up a double to Luke Sawyer in the eighth, then walked Bryan Davila, his day was over.

Shawn McConnell took the mound and, after Sawyer scored on Austin Knight’s sacrifice, also loaded the bases before escaping.

Both managers agreed that pitching was the best part of the game.

“I thought both kids pitched extremely well,” Schenectady manager Todd Godlewski said. “(Cook) pitched out of a jam, that bases-loaded, no-out jam, and showed a lot of heart right there. He’s a very good pitcher, and their pitcher is a very good pitcher.”

Cook finished with three walks and five strikeouts. Reds starter Nick Cicio fanned seven and walked three before giving way to Matthew Tuthill after eight innings.

“He’s a good pitcher,” Donovan said of Cicio. “He has a lot of heart, and he’s a very nice kid.”

In all, the Reds stranded a dozen runners while PNA left seven.

“We just didn’t come up with key hits in key situations,” Godlewski said. “We had every opportunity; runners in scoring position in two or three innings, and we just didn’t come up with the big hit. It was a close game. We had runners on second and third and didn’t get the key hit there. We had runners at second a couple two, three times, and didn’t get a hit there. That’s what costs you ballgames.”