Friday, April 20, 2007 12:19 AM CDT
Charleston hangs on for victory over Neoga
By Mike Monahan Staff Writer
mmonahan@jg-tc.com
NEOGA – Charleston scored three runs in the sixth inning to take a 7-4 lead, but Neoga put a rally together in the final frame. The Indians scored two runs and had the bases loaded with no one out when Charleston’s Matt Miller relieved Wade Eveland and shut the door, striking out the final two batters as the Trojans escaped with a 7-6 non-conference victory Thursday at J. Lee McTeer Memorial Field.
“We had some real good swings against a good pitcher,” said Charleston coach Derrick Landrus of Neoga’s David Massengill, who is headed to Lake Land next year. “It was good to get back on the winning side and hopefully this will give us momentum going into the Olney doubleheader (Apollo Conference games at Charleston Saturday).”
Neoga, whose only previous loss was a 3-1 game to Beecher City on a frigid day, left nine runners on the basepaths, including four in scoring position.
“We had our chances,” said Neoga coach Ted Kerner. “We were not as sharp on defense. We didn’t make many errors, but we were not very sharp. Offensively, we had too many bad at-bats. But we did have the game-winning run in scoring position. The kids didn’t quit. We kept battling. Charleston is a very good hitting team. They hit the ball well with a lot of line drive hits.”
In the sixth inning Charleston’s bottom of the lineup came through as Trey Ryan reached on an infield hit and Pat Singer singled up the middle. Derek Henning came up and bunted the ball back to the pitcher.
“I really thought we could have got the runner at third,” said Neoga Kerner. “Instead he looked at third and threw to first and we didn’t get there in time. They might not have scored if we get the runner at third.”
Hennig reached to load the bases for the top of the order in Cory Ames. Ames delivered with a two-run single up the middle to break the tie. Hennig scored on a double play for the 7-4 advantage.
“Pat Singer came up with a big hit,” said Landrus. “He faked a bunt and pulled back and hit it up the middle. Then we were going with a straight bunt and Hennig ends up on first.”
Eveland retired Neoga in order in the sixth for the only time of the game for the Trojans.
Neoga, a team that has had a few come-from-behind wins this season, came up in the seventh after Charleston left a runner at second in their half. David Massengill drew a base on balls on a full-count pitch. Wes Letizia reached on an infield single and Massengill scored when the throw by the third baseman went awry. David Myers reached on another error and Tyler Szatkowski came in to pinch-hit and drew a full-count walk to load the bases. Shaye Albert singled up the middle, scoring Letizia and making it a 7-6 game with bases loaded.
Miller struck out the final two batters swinging as the Trojans held on for the win.
After David Massengill retired the Trojans in order in the first his brother, Jared Massengill, who is also the catcher, came through with a two-run homer to left-center field after Dalton Robinson, a freshman, led off with a walk. With one out Letizia was hit by a pitch and advanced to second when David Myers reached on an error. However, Eveland worked out of the jam with two strikeouts.
The Trojans answered with two runs in the second as Cody Mason clubbed a home run to center and Daniel Bennett hit an 0-2 pitch into right field for a single. Bennettt scored on a two-out single by Hennig.
Charleston pulled off a double steal in the third to take the lead as Mason stole second with two outs and Ames scored on the throw to second.
Neoga trailed 4-2 in the fourth when Jared Massengill struck again. Lefty Alex Walk singled up the middle on the first pitch with one out and with two outs on an 0-2 count Massengill hit another two-run homer. Massengill drove in four runs for the third time this season and hit his fourth and fifth home runs of the season. In addition he also threw out two would be base stealers.
“Jared has been solid,” said Kerner. “He caught four games in the fall after breaking his ankle last spring.”
Ames was 3-for-4 for the Trojans with two runs batted in, while Mason was 2-for-3 with two runs batted in and Bennett was 3-for-4, while Hennig was 2-for-3 with a run batted in. All but one player had at least one hit for the Trojans.
“Everyone contributed today,” said Landrus. “Wade Eveland pitched pretty well except for one pitch in the fourth (Jared Massengill’s home run).”
Charleston, 10-6, is to play host to Olney at 11 a.m. Saturday in a doubleheader, while Neoga, 7-2, has a strange doubleheader Saturday as they play host to Flora in the first game and Cumberland in the second contest.
CHARLESTON AB R H BI
Ames, 3b 4 1 3 2
Gentry, lf 4 0 1 0
Miller, ss 4 0 0 0
Mason, dh 3 1 2 2
Bennett, 1b 4 1 3 0
Eveland, p 4 0 1 0
Ryan, c 4 1 1 0
Phipps, cr 0 1 0 0
Singer, rf 3 1 1 0
Hennig, 2b 3 1 2 1
Totals 30 7 13 5
2B-Bennett; HR-Mason; S-Singer
NEOGA AB R H BI
D. Robinson, lf 2 1 0 0
J. Massengill, c 4 2 2 4
D. Massengill, p 3 1 0 0
Letezia, 1b 3 1 1 0
Myers, 2b 4 0 1 0
A. Robinson, cf 2 0 0 0
Szatkowski, ph 0 0 0 0
Albert, rf 4 0 1 1
Barnick, 3b 4 0 1 0
Walk, ss 4 1 1 0
Totals 30 6 7 5
HR-J. Massengill 2
Charleston 021 103 0 —7-13-4
Neoga 200 200 2 —6-7-1
Pitching
Charleston IP H R ER BB SO
Eveland (1-1) 6 1/3 7 6 5 3 6
Miller (S) 2/3 0 0 0 0 2
Neoga IP H R ER BB SO
D. Massengill (2-1) 13 7 6 1 4
Contact Mike Monahan at mmonahan@jg-tc.com or 238-6854.
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