|
SMALL BALL WINS: Braves Rally Past Marquette
 Photos courtesy of Gladstone Braves Athletics GLADSTONE---Added up, the final two hits of the game for the Gladstone Braves may have combined to travel 20 feet from home plate. But the execution of two bunts in the clutch, combined with aggressive baserunning, led the Braves to a wild 11-10 win over the Marquette Redmen Wednesday night at Don Olsen Field. Carter Van Brocklin, who's been the team's hottest hitter the past two weeks, was instead asked t bunt with the winning run at third base in a tie game. He squared around and got the bunt down, and Tyler Darmogray raced home. Marquette pitcher Josh Wenk hurried his throw to the plate and spiked it into the dirt, and the Braves had a dramatic conference victory.  VanBrocklin had two hard-hit singles earlier in the game. That bunt followed another perfectly executed bunt that tied the game. With runners at first and second and no outs, and the Braves trailing, 10-9, Trevor Hanson was bunting not to move runners along, but to score the tying run. He got the bunt down, and Ryan Polley raced around from second base and did not stop, sliding in at home plate with the tying run. Darmogray ended up at third on that play, and scored on the next bunt. The win capped a big comeback by the Braves, who had leaky defense for a second straight night that gift-wrapped eight runs in the third inning for Marquette. The Redmen hit well behind the errors, though, as Erik Johnson and Peter VandeAmond both had a pair of doubles. The Braves didn't get the lead again until the end. Nick Martin, Blake Krouth, and Darmogray all had two hits apiece. Gladstone improved to 10-5 on the season. Marquette is 4-6. Damorgray earned the win by pitching 4 2/3 innings of long relief. Dylan Pepin started but was the victim of leaky defense behind him in the Redmen eight-run third inning, when the Braves made three errors. Pepin was charged with eight runs, but only one run was earned. Wenk took the pitching loss for Marquette.  |
