By SAMUEL LEGG
The Tribune-Democrat
June 19, 2008 12:08 am
—
You’re not going to win many baseball games committing five errors, just ask NORAC Lab coach Scott McClelland.
Especially when hits and runs come at a premium in the wooden-bat AAABA League.
MCS Bulldogs took advantage of the handful of NORAC Lab miscues for a 5-1 victory during the early game on Wednesday at Point Stadium.
“You can’t win a ballgame with that many errors,” McClelland said. “The shame is, you can throw any pitcher in there, but errors will kill you. Errors will kill you.”
NORAC Lab had two errors in the third and one in each of the next three innings.
On the other hand, the Bulldogs, who took the three-game set 2-1, committed just one miscue Wednesday.
“We played strong defense,” MCS Bulldogs coach Matt Duval said. “Put the ball in play, be aggressive at the plate and play some fundamental defense, and you’re going to win some ballgames.”
The Bulldogs (5-11) got a complete-game effort from left-hander David McMurtrie.
McMurtrie gave up four hits, no earned runs and fanned three.
“He’s a 17-year-old from Tussey Mountain (High School),” Duval said. “Heck of a pitcher. He went out there, threw strikes and did his job.”
NORAC Lab (3-13) wasted a good outing from pitcher Josh Szelong. The right-hander went the distance, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out four.
NORAC Lab third baseman Josh Hershberger had two singles.
“My kids, I feel like they’re playing good ball, but in the same token, we’ve got to win,” McClelland said.
The Bulldogs scored two runs in the third, thanks to an errant pick off at first by Szelong and a two-base error on catcher Kevin Erickson.
Michael Claycomb and Jeff Davis, who went 2-for-3, crossed the plate for the Bulldogs.
In the fourth, the Bulldogs left fielder Mike Holden struckout, but reached base on a passed ball and then went to second on an overthrow to first by Erickson. Daniel Barefoot’s one-out single to center scored Holden.
NORAC Lab scored its lone run in the home half of the fourth when Justin Fontaine hit into a 4-6-3 double play, scoring Russ Gray, who walked to start the inning.
The Bulldogs put the game away with a pair of runs in the fifth.
With one out, Mark Saxman drew a walk before Kyle Rose singled to right. NORAC Lab’s Nick Samko let the ball skip under his glove and it rolled to the fence, permitting Saxman to score easily and Rose touched home as the relay throw sailed up the third-base line.
“We’re starting to jell together as a team, which is a big thing for us,” Duval said. “ We have a lot of young guys. We’re getting some guys to step up as leaders, and once we click we’re going to start to win a lot of ballgames.”
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