Monday, July 2nd, 2012
Panthers power past Indians
Weather suspends Redskins, Flyers in third inning
By Gary R. Rasberry
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Parkway's Brandon Moorman, right back, receives congratulations after hitting a grand slam home run against Fort Recovery on Sunday during the Mercer County ACME sectional tournament at the Wally Post Athletic Complex in St. Henry. Parkway defeated Fort Recovery 14-3 in five innings.
ST. HENRY - Parkway opened the 2012 Mercer County ACME baseball sectional tournament by overtaking Fort Recovery in five innings with a 14-3 triumph on Sunday at the Wally Post Athletic Complex in St. Henry.
The Panthers will square off against top-seeded Celina tonight in the second game of a tripleheader. Tonight's action will start at 5 p.m. with St. Henry and Marion Local resuming their suspended game. The Redskins and Flyers were tied at 4-4 in the middle of the third inning on Sunday when lightning and an incoming storm prompted the suspension of play. The winner of tonight's Marion-St. Henry game will play second-seeded Coldwater in the final game of this evening's action.
The Panthers and Indians had the makings of a slugfest after Parkway scored twice in the top of the first inning against Indians' starting pitcher Kent Retz before the Indians roared back against Parkway's starting hurler Austin Adams for three runs in the bottom of the inning.
In the second inning, Parkway put the game away. After Tanner Bates reached on a dropped pop fly and stole second, Cain Pontsler singled to plate the tying run. Adams helped his own cause with a double and Jordan Stephenson was hit by a pitch to load the bases for Brandon Moorman, who hit Retz's first pitch to deep centerfield for a grand slam and a 7-3 Panthers' lead.
"Boys hit the ball well today," said Parkway's coach Kirk Stephenson. "... We came to play today."
"They hit Kent well," said Indians' skipper Harold Fiely. "Kent has to get ahead and he wasn't able to do so. He threw a lot of pitches and it wore him out."
The second-inning explosion was all the run support that Adams needed to get past the Indians as he scattered just two hits over the final four innings on the mound.
"I think Austin was a little nervous to get started," said Stephenson. "It's been over a week since I've thrown him. Once he got back in that groove and settled down, he got his pitches in the strike zone and got the pop ups and ground balls we needed. The defense backed him up."
"We had two big plays where we dropped two balls in the outfield," said Fiely. "Catch them and it's probably 4-3. Twice we had guys at second and third. Base hit here and there and that's four more runs and we're in the game too. It's a matter of inches."
The Panthers scored two more runs in the third inning thanks to RBI doubles from Pontsler and Adams. After Parkway scored one in the fourth, it added four more in the top of the fifth to trigger the run rule.
Pontsler was 4-for-4 with four runs scored. Adams was a homer shy of the cycle in going 3-for-3 with three runs scored and three RBI. Wyatt Felver, called up from the Junior ACME team because of injuries, doubled twice and drove in a run.
Jacob Muhlenkamp had two of the four hits for Fort Recovery.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
St. Henry's Derek Rindler, back, slides safely into second base as Marion Local's Jordan Rethman catches the ball during Sunday's Mercer County ACME sectional tournament game at St. Henry's Wally Post Athletic Complex. The Redskins and the Flyers were tied at 4-4 in the middle of the third inning when play was suspended. St. Henry and Marion Local will finish their game tonight at 5 p.m.
Photo by Mark Pummell/The Daily Standard
Parkway's Jordan Stephenson gets in position to field a groundball during Sunday's game against Fort Recovery.
