Friday, April 29th, 2022
Timely Hitting
Cardinals find key hit while Flyers strand 11
By Tom Haines
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
New Bremen catcher Vince Hulse turns back to the plate to force out Marion Local's Parker Hess (15) on a short grounder by Ethan Heitkamp in the second inning at the Airport on Thursday.
MARIA STEIN - After Parker Hess kept New Bremen in check all game, the Cardinals finally broke the game open.
Up by one in the top of the seventh, New Bremen got an RBI single from Jonny Heitkamp and a two-run double by Aaron Thieman to bury Marion Local for an 8-3 win in a Midwest Athletic Conference baseball game at the Airport on Thursday.
"We were able to come through with a timely hit, which was big, and something that's been a challenge for us this year," New Bremen coach Chad Wells said. "So it was nice to see that in that spot, we came through."
New Bremen (7-5, 3-3 MAC) got started when Nick Alig slapped a grounder to first baseman Reggie Kramer, who bobbled the ball and lunged back to the bag. Alig was called safe, and Drew McNaughton followed with an infield single for his third hit of the day.
After Hess fell behind 3-0 to Vince Hulse, Hays signaled for an intentional walk, and Reece Busse hit a grounder to Gabe Link, who fired to the plate for the first out. Heitkamp chopped a slow grounder to the right side, and neither Kramer nor second baseman Hayden Wibbeler could reach it in time as McNaughton crossed the plate.
"It started with that first play, they got a runner on that should've been out at first," Marion coach Mitch Hays said. "Then they got an infield hit, then it just kind of snowballed from there."
Thieman then drove an 0-1 pitch down the left field line, where it bounced to the wall as Hulse and Busse came home. Carter Elking followed with a sacrifice fly before Hess got a flyout to end the inning.
Alig struck out the first two batters in the bottom of the seventh, but topped out at 128 pitches and gave way to Nolan Kuenning, who gave up a four-pitch walk to Ian Rindler and an infield single to Hayden Poeppelman. An error loaded the bases before Kuenning got Hess to look at strike three to end the game.
"We had the next option ready to go," Wells said. "We were prepared (to pull Kuenning). We got close to that, but credit to Nolan, he got himself out of it."
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Marion Local's Reggie Kramer snares a high throw as New Bremen's Ben Sailer heads to first base in the second inning on Thursday. Kramer tagged out Sailer in the basepath for the second out of the inning.
Link started on the mound for Marion (5-7-1, 3-4 MAC) and gave up three straight singles to open the game, with Alig scoring to make it 1-0. Busse walked to load the bases and a wild pitch scored McNaughton before Link struck out Heitkamp swinging.
Thieman looked to bunt and Link's attempt to pitch out went wild, bringing home Hulse, and after Thieman's squeeze attempt got Busse tagged out at third, Hays called for Hess to take over. Hess threw two pitches before freshman catcher Ethan Heitkamp threw Thieman out at second to end the inning.
"Obviously the plan was for (Link) to pitch tonight, Parker tomorrow, but that didn't work," Hays said. "But Parker came in and did a really nice job."
In the second, Kramer led off with a walk and Colton Pohlman tried a sacrifice bunt that got Kramer thrown out at second. Griffin Bruns walked and Hess hit a soft ground ball that just got past Bergman, and Pohlman slid under Hulse's tag for Marion's first run.
Wibbeler brought home another run on a soft grounder through the right side before Alig struck out Drew Lause. Link singled to left, but Hess had to hold up at third, and Heitkamp hit a dribbler that Hulse scooped up for a forceout at home to extinguish the threat.
All told, the Flyers stranded 11 runners.
"We didn't show up to play the game," Hays said. "This is not our team. They brought the energy all season, it just wasn't there tonight. We were really flat."
New Bremen added on with a two-out rally in the sixth, as Thieman looped a single to left, Elking hit a grounder that bounced over Link's shoulder into left field, and Ben Sailer hit a line drive in front of Lause in center to score a run.
Marion got it back in the bottom half, as Bruns led off with a walk and stole second before a groundout moved him to third. Lause singled to score Bruns and then stole second, but Alig struck out Link to preserve the one-run lead.
Photo by Paige Sutter/The Daily Standard
Marion Local shortstop Griffin Bruns tags out New Bremen's Aaron Thieman trying to steal in the first inning at the Airport on Thursday.
"We've got to have a better approach at the plate, period," Hays said. "The umpire did a good job calling balls and strikes, I thought, but we just weren't aggressive enough at the plate. Get back into being aggressive like we have been and we'll be fine."
The Cardinals also benefited from a strange play in the fourth, as Hess led off with a walk and stole second ahead of Hulse's throw before the umpire ordered him back and called out batter Hayden Wibbeler for interference. Hess later moved to second on a wild pitch, but Alig got a strikeout and a popout to strand him there.
Alig struck out 12 in 6 2/3 innings of work and giving up five hits and six walks.
"He gave a gutsy senior performance, which is what we needed from him," Wells said. "We've got to get him to the point where he's more efficient, so he can finish that game, but overall, he bowed his back when he needed to and got out of some tough situations."
The New Bremen victory ends a two-game skid and snaps the Flyers' four-game winning streak.
Marion returns to action today when Ansonia comes to the Airport, while New Bremen travels to Russia.
