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Down and dusty Martin Oil shortstop Nate Gray goes down on the dirt to get a grounder during Martin Oil’s 15-5 win over Dick’s Pharmacy in the first game of their first round Kelley Federation playoff series. Gray made sevral leaping grabs of line drives as well as going in the hole to throw runners out. (The Daily Herald/Stacey Manning) |
Martin Oil jumped out to a big start over Dick’s Pharmacy in the first game of a first-round playoff game on Friday evening at Mansion Park, fell asleep for an inning, and then wrapped up a 15-5 win, with the help of six Dick’s Pharmacy errors.
There were 27 hits in the game, 15 by Martin Oil and a dozen by Dick’s, and everyone was a single.
Martin Oil spotted a run to Dick’s Pharmacy in the top of the first inning. Losing pitcher Shane Gillman singled and advanced to second when centerfielder Jimmy Watters couldn’t handle the ball in the grass, then Zeke Quirin singled to score Gillman and he made it to second when Justin Miller had trouble picking the ball up in right field.
That would be all the mistakes in the field by Martin Oil, but Dick’s came right up with two of their own in the bottom of the first.
Justin Manning reached on the first Pharmacy miscue, ending up at second. Jake Manning dropped a bunt that he beat out, then stole second to put the Manning twins on second and third. Nate Gray lined a single to center to score both Mannings, and when there was an error on the play, Gray hustled around to third. Chad Coho got Gray home, with a single to left.
In the second, Martin Oil doubled their total to six.
Alex Miller singled up the middle and stole second base. Trey Mock followed with a base hit to center to move Miller to third, then Jared Coho, courtesy running for Mock, stole second. Justin Manning drove in both A. Miller and J. Coho, with a single to left. After an error moved Justin Manning up a base, Jake Manning sent him home with an RBI groundout.
Four more runs followed in the third for Martin Oil to take a 10-1 lead. Watters bunted and legged it out, but was picked off first base by Gillman for the first out of the inning. Justin Miller walked and Nate Plummer was safe on an swinging bunt. With two outs, Mock singled to plate J. Miller and Plummer. Jesse Davis, courtesy running for Mock swiped second base. Justin Miller singled and Jake Manning drew a walk to load the bases. Both Davis and Justin Manning scored when Gray slashed a shot that Dave Walter couldn’t handle for an error.
In the fourth, after Dick’s Pharmacy’s Tyler Sweeney singled to plate Shawn Smith, who had walked, Martin Oil pit two more scores on the board. Watters walked and stole second. Plummer walked and when Dick’s relief pitcher Craig Eckenrode tried to pick him off base, he threw the ball away, with Watters scoring and Plummer going to second. Alex Miller singled to bring home Plummer.
The Pharmacy scored one in the top of the fifth, and two more in the sixth to close the score to 12-5.
Walter slammed a no balls-two strikes pitch from Chad Coho for a home run in the fifth, then singled in the sixth to score Zeke Quirin, who had beat out an infield single. Sweeney singled in pinch hitter Carlin Futrell, who had walked to lead off the frame.
Martin Oil then scored three to end the game via the 10-run Mercy Rule in the bottom half of the sixth.
Justin Miller singled, Plummer traded places with him with a fielder’s choice, and Mike Albright singled. Adam Kovac singled to right to score both Plummer and Albright. With two outs, Kovac scored the 15th run on an error on a ball scorched by Jake Manning that Calvin Yon couldn’t handle at second base.
Mock struck out six and walked three, allowing two runs in four innings to pick up the win. C. Coho fanned one and walked one in two innings, allowing three runs on four hits.
“We did a pretty good job in all phases of the game. We hit better than we have for most of the season, we made no errors after the first inning, and we got some pretty good pitching from Trey and Chad. We had 11 different guys get a base hit and Judd, Watters, Trey and Alex each had two hits,” said Martin Oil manager Ed Davis. “Give Dick’s Pharmacy a lot of credit. They have made a tremendous improvement from the early part of the season. They never gave up, never backed off, when it would have been easy for them to just go through the motions, when we got way up on them early.”
Martin Oil and Dick’s Pharmacy will play Game Two of the series today at Vets Field at 5 p.m.
Martin Oil 15 Dick’s Pharmacy 5
Dick’s Pharmacy – Gillman, p-1b, 4-1-2; Quirin, cf, 4-1-4; Henry, lf, 4-0-0; Sweeney, 3b, 4-0-3; Walter, ss, 3-1-3; Kutruff, rf, 3-0-0; Yon, 2b, 3-0-0; Smith, c, 1-1-0; Eckenrode, p, 1-0-0; Snyder, 1b-c, 2-0-0; Futrell, ph, 0-1-0. TOTALS 29-5-12.
Martin Oil – Ju. Manning, 2b, 5-3-2; Ja. Manning, c, 3-1-1; Gray, ss, 4-1-1; C. Coho, 3b, 4-0-1; Watters, cf, 3-1-2; J. Miller, rf-1b, 3-1-1; Plummer, 1b-3b, 3-3-1; A. Miller, lf, 3-1-2; Albright, lf, 1-1-1; Mock, p, 3-0-2; J. Coho, cr, 0-1-0; Davis, cr, 0-1-0; Kovac, rf, 1-1-1. TOTALS 33-15-15.
Dick’s Pharmacy 100 112 5-12-6.
Martin Oil 334 203 15-12-2.
E: Quirin, Henry, Walter, Yon 2, Eckenrode, Watters, J. Miller.
HR: Walter.
RBI: Walter 2, Sweeney 2, Quirin, Ju. Manning, Gray 2, Mock 2, Kovac 2, Ja. Manning, A. Miller.
SO: Eckenrode 1, Mock 6, C. Coho 1.
BB: Gillman 2, Eckenrode 1, Mock 3, C. Coho 1.
WP: Mock LP: Gillman
