Wildcats win wild one vs. Jays

By Jim Metcalfe, The Delphos Herald
Published:  Friday, April 25, 2008 (3 months, 2 weeks ago)
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DELPHOS — Wednesday night’s Bath at St. John’s baseball game at Stadium Park was not one for defensive purists — the teams combined for 12 errors (the Blue Jays 7, the Wildcats 5).
For those that like lots of hits and runs, it was perfect: the units totaled 26 runs and 32 hits.
Bath just took advantage of Blue Jay miscues better, outscoring their “winged” foe 17-9 in non-conference action.
“We hit the ball very well. We drove the ball with some power behind it,” Jays coach Dan Metzger began. “We have been working extensively on keeping our hands back, staying back and driving the ball to all fields, on how to understand the pitching zone and take the ball where it is. That’s a real positive.”
However, the Jays (4-8) couldn’t keep pace with the 17-hit attack of the Wildcats (8-7), especially when seven of their runs were unearned.
It began in the first when a 2-out fielding error allowed two of Bath’s three runs to touch home base against starter Brandon Hemker (0-2; 4 IP, 7 hits, 7 runs, 5 earned, 4 walks, 2 Ks).
The Jays got two back in the home half against Bath starter Joe Spinnati (7 IP, 15 hits, 9 runs, 6 earned, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts) on a 2-run bad-hop double to right center by Curt Metzger (2-for-3, 3 RBIs).
Still, with the likes of Kevin Korkate (4-for-5, 2 RBIs) and lefty-swinging Matt McKinney (3-for-6, 5 ribbies, 3 runs scored) in the middle of Bath’s lineup, Blue Jay errors made that lineup even more potent.
“Bath’s already a good hitting team. Their 1 through 5 men in the order are very good hitters,” Metzger explained. “We needed to get their 6 through 9 guys and giving up walks and then errors just got them to the meat of their lineup even more. Today was about as bad a day defensively as you could have. Every mistake you could make: dropping flies, booting grounders, miscommunication, missing cut-offs, poor throws; we did. It’s getting too late in the year for the youth excuse. Bath made its share of mistakes in the field as well; ours just seemed to cost us more.”
A Cory Stephens (2-for-3, 2 runs, 2 RBIs) single, a fielder’s-choice groundout by McKinney and a wild pitch scored Bath’s three runs in the second.
The Jays reduced the deficit to 6-5 in the third on an error on Metzger’s line shot to left (2 runs) and a triple to right center by Nate Webb (2-for-4).
An RBI single up the gut by Karkate made it 7-5 in the top of the fourth.
Bath greeted freshman reliever Ty Bergfeld with a 3-run outburst in the fifth (1 earned), the big blow a 2-run base hit to left center by McKinney.
The Jays got a solo tally back in the home half as Chris Pohlman (3-for-3) slapped a run-scoring single to left to score Taylor Bowersock (3-for-5, 3 runs).
Bath blew it open in the sixth, sending 10 men to the plate, chasing Bergfeld (for classmate Austin Vogt) and toting up six more runs. Six base hits, including a 2-run triple by Zach Sterling (2-for-4, 3 runs), and a big error  combined to put the visiting team up 16-6.
The Jays stayed alive in the home half with a sacrifice fly to right field by Metzger, getting Hemker home and extending the game.
Stephens put the lead back to 10 in the top of the seventh with a fly ball deep enough to left to score Johnny Simindinger from third.
The Jays didn’t go down without a fight, getting an RBI single by Vogt and a fielder’s-choice groundout by Bergfeld (2-for-4, 2 runs) but Spinnati finished it off on his 111th offering (72 for strikes).
“It was hard for our pitchers to get any kind of rhythm. They did hurt themselves with a few walks, hit batters and wild pitches,” Metzger added. “Brandon got into a couple of jams and made good pitches to get out of them but the defense didn’t make the needed play. It just forces them to make more pitches and eventually, a good hitting team will catch up to them.”
The Jays visit Ottoville and its new stadium at Ottoville High School tonight.

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