MAC is back on winning track with sweep of doubleheader
By DONN ADAMSON/Daily Journal Sports Editor
Mar 19, 2005 - 23:48:24 CST
PARK HILLS - The Mineral Area College Cardinals returned from a less than pleasant 1-6 Gulf Coast trip to host the Muscatine College Indians in a doubleheader on Saturday. It must have felt good to be back home, because the Cardinals (6-12) swept both ends of the doubleheader, 8-1 and 6-2.
Pitching was the rule of the day for the Cardinals as they received stellar performances from Drew Horell and Luke Holland. Horell took the mound in game one and controlled things from his end allowing only three hits and only four balls out of the infield in the entire game.
Things looked a little grim at the start as a lead-off double by Seth Kuhl gave Muscatine its first of only three scoring opportunities. The Indians cashed in after two ground balls advanced Kuhl to home plate. The run would stand until the bottom of the third inning.
Horrell gave up a double in the second inning to Zane Froelich, and Froelich, the only other Indian to reach second base, was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Seth Hardin. Horell finished off both the sixth and seventh innings by striking out the last two batters in each inning.
"I can't say enough about a kid who gives you a three-hit, five strike-out performance," said Coach Jim Gerwitz. "Hope whatever he's got is contagious and spreads to our other pitchers."
Mineral Area put together its first rally in the third inning with Ryan Becker being plunked with a pitch to lead off the frame. Three consecutive singles by Brandon Crook, Ryan Dickerman and Ryan Hoffman, and a fielder's choice by Marty Clements plated the first three batters.
The Cardinals hitters rallied again in the fifth inning and in the sixth inning. An lead-off double by Hoffman in the fifth was followed with a double by Sean Bard for the RBI and Tyler Stahl drove Bard in with a single.
"We got hits when we needed them," said Gerwitz in answer to his team's 10 hits for eight runs. "We came up big when we had men in scoring position."
In the sixth inning Ryan Becker drew a walk and was sacrificed over by Crook. Dickerman also drew a walk to make it first and third with two outs when Clements came to the plate. A high and inside pitch to Clements came close enough to the batter that the umpire called time to check it out. His perusal left the sophomore right-hander in the batter's box, and Clements answered with a two-run triple. Clements would score on a wild pitch.
In game two Holland continued the Cardinals strong game from the mound. This time it would be the Cardinals which would strike first with a lead-off double by Dickerman. A wild pitch allowed the centerfielder to reach third, and a ground ball by Clements scored Dickerman from third base.
A booted grounder hit by Eric Goen in the second inning resulted in a run after an RBI double by Ryan Gilliland tied the game at 1-1. Muscatine would take the lead in the fifth inning with Ryan Gilliland reaching on a fielder's choice and then scoring after a stolen base and a pair of wild pitches.
The Indians' lead would be short-lived. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Stahl was hit by a pitch and would walk home after a two-out single by Aaron Miller and consecutive walks by Michael Hall and Dickerman.
The Cardinals received a winning-run gift in the sixth. Clements led off with a walk, and Bard was hit by a pitch. Stahl laid down a perfect sacrifice to advance the runners, but before the next batter, Scott Hubbard, could collect the RBIs, the Muscatine pitcher was called for a balk.
Hubbard lined a two-strike RBI single up the middle and Kenny Pikula followed with a double to score Hubbard. Miller drove Pikula in for the last run. Mabury pitched the sixth inning and struck out the third out with the bases loaded. Matt Holland pitched the seventh and got out off the inning on a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
The two teams will be back at it again in a nine-inning single game today at noon.
FIRST GAME
Muscatine 100 000 0 - 1 3 1
Mineral Area 003 023 x - 8 10 0
Muscatine:
Hitting - Kuhl, Froelich, Farnsworth. 2b - Kuhl, Froelich.
Pitching - LP-DeSmet 4 1/3i 5r 9h 3k 0bb, Thompson 2/3i 0r 0h 1k 1bb, Begey 1i 3r 1h 0k 2bb 1hp.
Mineral Area:
Hitting - Hoffman 2, Dickerman, Clements, Bard, Stahl, Hubbard, Hulsey, Crook. 3b- Clements. 2b- Hoffman, Bard.
Pitching - WP-Horrell 7i 1r 3h 7k 2bb 1hp
SECOND GAME
Muscatine 010 010 0 - 2 6 1
Mineral Area 100 014 x - 6 5 1
Muscatine:
Hitting - Rosa 2, Kuhl, Goen, Froelich, Gilliland, Hardin. 2b- Gilliland.
Pitching:
Curler 4 2/3i 2r 3h 2k 2bb 1hp, LP-Encarnacion 2/3i 3r 1h 0k 0bb 1hp, Dino 2/3i 1r 2h 0k 0bb.
Mineral Area:
Hitting - Miller 3, Dickerman, Hubbard, Pikula. 2b- Dickerman, Pikula.
Pitching:
WP-L Holland 5i 2r 3h 5k 2bb, Mabury 1i 0r 1h 2k 1bb 1hp, M Holland 1i 0r 2h 1k 0bb.
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Pitching was the rule of the day for the Cardinals as they received stellar performances from Drew Horell and Luke Holland. Horell took the mound in game one and controlled things from his end allowing only three hits and only four balls out of the infield in the entire game.
Things looked a little grim at the start as a lead-off double by Seth Kuhl gave Muscatine its first of only three scoring opportunities. The Indians cashed in after two ground balls advanced Kuhl to home plate. The run would stand until the bottom of the third inning.
Horrell gave up a double in the second inning to Zane Froelich, and Froelich, the only other Indian to reach second base, was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning and advanced on a sacrifice bunt by Seth Hardin. Horell finished off both the sixth and seventh innings by striking out the last two batters in each inning.
"I can't say enough about a kid who gives you a three-hit, five strike-out performance," said Coach Jim Gerwitz. "Hope whatever he's got is contagious and spreads to our other pitchers."
Mineral Area put together its first rally in the third inning with Ryan Becker being plunked with a pitch to lead off the frame. Three consecutive singles by Brandon Crook, Ryan Dickerman and Ryan Hoffman, and a fielder's choice by Marty Clements plated the first three batters.
The Cardinals hitters rallied again in the fifth inning and in the sixth inning. An lead-off double by Hoffman in the fifth was followed with a double by Sean Bard for the RBI and Tyler Stahl drove Bard in with a single.
"We got hits when we needed them," said Gerwitz in answer to his team's 10 hits for eight runs. "We came up big when we had men in scoring position."
In the sixth inning Ryan Becker drew a walk and was sacrificed over by Crook. Dickerman also drew a walk to make it first and third with two outs when Clements came to the plate. A high and inside pitch to Clements came close enough to the batter that the umpire called time to check it out. His perusal left the sophomore right-hander in the batter's box, and Clements answered with a two-run triple. Clements would score on a wild pitch.
In game two Holland continued the Cardinals strong game from the mound. This time it would be the Cardinals which would strike first with a lead-off double by Dickerman. A wild pitch allowed the centerfielder to reach third, and a ground ball by Clements scored Dickerman from third base.
A booted grounder hit by Eric Goen in the second inning resulted in a run after an RBI double by Ryan Gilliland tied the game at 1-1. Muscatine would take the lead in the fifth inning with Ryan Gilliland reaching on a fielder's choice and then scoring after a stolen base and a pair of wild pitches.
The Indians' lead would be short-lived. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Stahl was hit by a pitch and would walk home after a two-out single by Aaron Miller and consecutive walks by Michael Hall and Dickerman.
The Cardinals received a winning-run gift in the sixth. Clements led off with a walk, and Bard was hit by a pitch. Stahl laid down a perfect sacrifice to advance the runners, but before the next batter, Scott Hubbard, could collect the RBIs, the Muscatine pitcher was called for a balk.
Hubbard lined a two-strike RBI single up the middle and Kenny Pikula followed with a double to score Hubbard. Miller drove Pikula in for the last run. Mabury pitched the sixth inning and struck out the third out with the bases loaded. Matt Holland pitched the seventh and got out off the inning on a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
The two teams will be back at it again in a nine-inning single game today at noon.
FIRST GAME
Muscatine 100 000 0 - 1 3 1
Mineral Area 003 023 x - 8 10 0
Muscatine:
Hitting - Kuhl, Froelich, Farnsworth. 2b - Kuhl, Froelich.
Pitching - LP-DeSmet 4 1/3i 5r 9h 3k 0bb, Thompson 2/3i 0r 0h 1k 1bb, Begey 1i 3r 1h 0k 2bb 1hp.
Mineral Area:
Hitting - Hoffman 2, Dickerman, Clements, Bard, Stahl, Hubbard, Hulsey, Crook. 3b- Clements. 2b- Hoffman, Bard.
Pitching - WP-Horrell 7i 1r 3h 7k 2bb 1hp
SECOND GAME
Muscatine 010 010 0 - 2 6 1
Mineral Area 100 014 x - 6 5 1
Muscatine:
Hitting - Rosa 2, Kuhl, Goen, Froelich, Gilliland, Hardin. 2b- Gilliland.
Pitching:
Curler 4 2/3i 2r 3h 2k 2bb 1hp, LP-Encarnacion 2/3i 3r 1h 0k 0bb 1hp, Dino 2/3i 1r 2h 0k 0bb.
Mineral Area:
Hitting - Miller 3, Dickerman, Hubbard, Pikula. 2b- Dickerman, Pikula.
Pitching:
WP-L Holland 5i 2r 3h 5k 2bb, Mabury 1i 0r 1h 2k 1bb 1hp, M Holland 1i 0r 2h 1k 0bb.