Friday, July 31, 2009 11:02 PM CDT
Appleton's comeback kids turn away Effingham
By BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
MATTTOON -- Appleton, Wis., coach Dave Emanuel could have warned Effingham fans getting comfortable with their strong pitching and three double plays in the first five innings.
“This team has been like this for two weeks,” Emanuel said. “We have been playing from behind a lot.”
The Wisconsin state champion pulled off another comeback scoring all of its runs in the sixth inning of its 4-3 win over Southern Illinois champ Effingham Friday in the Babe Ruth baseball Ohio Valley Regional.
Appleton joined Ohio champion Mount Vernon and Western Kentucky’s Meade County as first-round winners of the 11-team double-elimination tournament being played at Grimes Field in Mattoon’s Peterson Park.
Effingham seemed headed toward the winners’ bracket behind Bryan Harrington, who doubled and scored on Nathan Garbe’s double in the first inning and pitched five shutout innings.
“It kind of seemed we were cruising there for a while,” Effingham coach Andy McDonald said. “It only takes one bad inning. They’re a tough match-up with six of those lefties. You can’t complain about the job (Bryan) did.
“That one play we didn’t make hurt. They hit the ball all game. Our defense did well until that point.”
Brad Morgan’s base hit and Taylor Gerner’s bunt hit got Appleton started in the sixth, Jake Schnese sacrificed the runners up a base and Appleton tied the game with two runs when Patrick Hollenbach reached on an error.
Coach’s son Ben Emanuel put Appleton ahead with a double and Beau Rigstad added a run-scoring single.
Ben Emanuel went on to complete a four-hitter on the mound having some leeway when two errors led to an unearned run for Effingham in the sixth.
“He’s not going to overpower you but he throws strikes,” the dad and coach Dave Emanuel said.
Appleton advanced to a 2 p.m. Sunday winners’ bracket game while Effingham fell into today’s 4:30 p.m. elimination game.
“We got beat by a good team,” McDonald said. “Now we’re focused on coming back tomorrow and getting through this thing. We’re not done yet.”
Meade County, Ky, 8,
Benton Harbor, Mich. 7
Like a deer in headlights is how coach Chris McClish described his Meade County, Ky., team in the first inning when Benton Harbor used one of its two double steals for a run.
At least when Brady Smith came to the plate with the score tied in the bottom of the seventh, Meade County had reason for confidence.
“He’s been clutch all year,” McClish said.
Sure enough, Smith who as a freshman was the varsity catcher for Meade County High School the past spring, came through with a bases-loaded single giving the Western Kentucky champion the win over the champion from Michigan.
“We feel kind of lucky,” McClish said. “We just survived. We got some key hits when we needed them.”
Smith finished with three hits while Ryan Hogan had a two-run homer in the fourth inning after a triple in the second for Meade County.
Benton Harbor’s leadoff batter Devin Williams went 3-for-3, was intentionally walked in his other two plate appearances and totaled four stolen bases.
Three times he scored on stolen bases, twice on double steals and then in the seventh scoring on a straight steal.
“We gave him the steal sign,” Benton Harbor coach Rodney Alexander said. “He’s real quick. He’s a get -up-and-go guy. He’s our leadoff man and we expect him to get on and get around.”
Benton Harbor went ahead with three runs in the seventh which started with Corey Miles reaching on an error. Miles earlier in the game had two outstanding catches in center field.
“I’m glad we came back,” Alexander said. “It’s just a tough loss.”
—
Mount Vernon, Ohio 7, Russell County, Ky., 1
Coach Brian Ford wasn’t sure how to read his Mount Vernon baseball team before the tourney opener.
“They were real quiet in warm-ups, which is a little uncharacteristic,” Ford said. “I guess you attribute that to focus. I didn’t know if it was nerves our focus but after the first inning I saw it was focus.”
Yes, without much pregame talk Mount Vernon made noise with its bats scoring all of its runs in the first two innings of Friday’s 7-1 win over Russell County, Ky.
The win moves the Ohio state champion 15-year-old team into today’s 9 a.m. game at against Southern Illinois champ Effingham, which had a first-round bye in the 11-team double-elimination tournament.
Nathan Chilcote pitched four innings and allowed a run on one hit for the win, Ryan Goetzman had a double and a single and Leevi Stump two singles in Mount Vernon’s opening win.
Mount Vernon got started with two runs in the first inning on back-to-back doubles by Tyler Lewis and Goetzman after Riley Swanson drew a one-out walk.
Three walks got Russell County in a jam in the second when Leevi Stump and Shawn Maxwell had run-scoring singles as part of a five-run inning making it 7-0.
“We kind of jumped on them early and then let our pitching and defense take over,” Ford said. “I’m a little disappointed we didn’t get more runs after the first couple of innings but they did a good job with their second pitcher.”
While Russell County’s Caleb Russell slowed down Mount Vernon, Chilcote and reliever Riley Swanson combined to pitch a two-hitter.
Chilcote allowed a hit to Tyler Robertson, the third batter of the game, but got out of a bases-loaded two-out jam.
In the fifth Chilcote hit the leadoff batter, walked the next one and then traded places with the shortstop Swanson.
“We’ve had a 10-day layoff and sometimes that affects your pitcher,” Ford said. “He knew. When I went out there he said ‘I’m a little tired.’ So we moved him over to shortstop.”
Riley finished the job against the Eastern Kentucky champion.
“We just didn’t hit the ball like we had been,” Russell County coach Richard Bennett said. “In baseball you have your ups and downs. Today was a down. Hopefully, Sunday will be an up.”
Russell County does not play again until a 9 a.m. Sunday game in the losers’ bracket.
“We’re going to have a batting practice today and then tomorrow we’ll try to hit a local golf course and get our minds off baseball,” Bennett said. “We’ll try to help out the local economy a little bit.”
No such break for Mount Vernon.
“Hopefully our kids will get a good night’s rest,” Ford said. “I have my own curfew.”
First game
Russell County 000 010 1 - 1-2-1
Mount Vernon 250 000 x - 7-7-1
Winning pitcher: Nathan Chilcote 4 innings, 1 hit, 1 earned run, 4 walks, 2 strikeouts Russell County, Ky.: Tyler Robertson single; Taylor Hutchinson single; Jalen Bennett RBI Mount Vernon, Ohio: Tyler Lewis double, 2 RBIs; Ryan Goetzman double, single, RBI; Leevi Stump 2 singles, RBI; Riley Swanson RBI; Shawn Maxwell single, RBI; Nathyn Chilcote double; Nathan Shuman single
Second game
Benton Harbor 101 200 3 - 7-12-3
Meade County 110 301 2 - 8-11-3
Winning pitcher: Bo Wilson 7 innings, 12 hits, 7 runs, 3 earned runs, 12 strikeouts, 5 walks Benton Harbor, Mich: Devin Williams 3 singles; Henry Furtell 2 singles, 2 RBIs; Roy Napier 2 singles; Corey Miles single; Lartell Pryor 2 singles, RBI; Antonio Vinson single; Jonathon Bengamin sacrifice; Marcus Alexander single Meade County, Ky.: Brady Smith 3 singles, sacrifice fly, 2 RBIs; Cheaney Schwartz sacrifice; Ryan Hogan triple, home run, 2 RBIs; Sean Brotzge sacrifice, RBI; Garrett Ledford single; Clay Tucker single, sacrifice; Bo Wilson double, RBI; Marcus Alexander single, RBI; Brandon McGhee 2 singles
Third game
Appleton 000 004 0 - 4-7-3
Effingham 100 101 0 - 3-4-3
Winning pitcher: Ben Emanuel 7 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 5 strikeouts, 0 walks Appleton, Wis.: Jacke Schnese single, sacrifice; Patrick Hollenbach single, RBI; Eric Thoraldorf single; Brad Morgan single; Taylor Gerber single; Ben Emanuel double, RBI; Kevin Granatelli single
Effingham: Nick Gardewine double; Bryan Harrington double, sacrifice fly, 2 RBIs; Derrick Cox single; Nathan Garbe single
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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