Aggressive Rams win duel over Quakers
SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — Vo-Tech’s Wyatt Koser and Millville’s Landon Evans were quite difficult for the opposing offenses to figure out.
The duo turned the clocks back in a pitcher’s duel that saw the Rams edging the Quakers, 2-1.
Offense was at such a premium that there were more hit batters (six) than there were hits allowed (four).
That led to both squads having to be aggressive on the bases when ducks were on the pond. The Rams did just that to score the game-winning run.
Peyton Fedder reached to lead off the bottom of the fourth, getting plunked with a full-count pitch. Evans looked as if he wasn’t going to let it to come back and hurt him or the Quakers (2-10) any, getting Jacob Snyder and Tommy Bond to strike out in the following at-bats.
Shane Tomlinson, though, broke the tie with a high pop-up to shallow right-center that Quakers’ second basemen Hayden Weaver didn’t catch. Pinch-runner Vaughn Waltman never stopped running, scoring from first.
“We had a couple of blunders defensively — that’s been our Achilles’ heel all season,” Millville coach Brian Albertson said. “... I’m proud of our kids, we battled, but came up on the wrong end of it today.”
Hit by pitches to lead off the inning was seemingly what the Rams needed, doing the same to tie the game in the second. Fedder was the one to jump-start that as well, only having to see one pitch to be awarded first base.
Snyder doubled to right, scoring pinch-runner Kaleb Cram from second for the contest’s only hit with runners in scoring position. For the game, the Quakers (7-6) went 0-for-5 while the Rams went 1-for-6, stranding six apiece on second or third.
“We were trying to get guys on base and into scoring position just so someone can hopefully hit them in,” Vo-Tech coach Mike Beaver said. “It didn’t go according to plan all game long, but we performed.”
The Quakers struck first in the opening frame as Koser was finding his stride on the mound. After an infield error pulled Rams first baseman Snyder off the bag to put Mason Smith aboard, Koser hit Evans to put runners on first and second. They moved up 90 feet on a double steal with Smith scoring on a wild pitch that bounced off the ground and over the backstop, standing at least 20 feet tall.
Koser settled down from there, allowing two hits, walking two and hitting four batters in a complete game. He also struck out 10 in the win.
“My arm was still a little tight in the beginning, but towards the end, it was loose,” Koser said. “I like to pitch more on a warmer day than on a colder day. My arm gets a lot more loose and I throw better then.”
Koser also proved to be a reliable option as a fielder, helping his cause with four putouts, including an unassisted play to get Blake Evans at first on a groundball. He also picked off Smith and Trevor Pickard.
“We had a couple of baserunning blunders, but we knew coming in that we were going to be aggressive with leads,” Albertson said. “Two guys fell asleep and that happens. ... We’re going to get picked off at times and it just so happened to hurt us today.”
Landon Evans was just as impressive as Koser, showing he too can take it to another level when the pressure’s on.
The Rams were in a great position to add insurance runs with runners on second and third and one out in the sixth. Evans, however, had other ideas, getting Bond and Tomlinson to strike out.
All told, Evans allowed two hits, walked three and hit Fedder twice. He got all but three outs via the strikeout (15), needing 102 pitches in the game. Koser finished with 99.
“Our record may not show it, but he keeps us in a lot of games,” Albertson said. “When he’s on, we’re going to be in it no matter who we play. I wish I could run him out there every game, but I can’t do that. ... He battles and doesn’t get fazed.
“His changeup was working well and later got his curveball working. He was putting his fastball wherever he wanted. If a pitcher goes out and strikes out 15, we should win it.”
Millville 100 000 0 — 1 2 1
Vo-Tech 010 100 x — 2 2 2
Landon Evans and Hunter Weaver. Wyatt Koser and Peyton Fedder.
W — Koser. L — Evans.
Top hitters: Millville — Blake Evans, 1-3; Trevor Pickard, 1-2. Vo-Tech — Howie Sponenberg, 1-2; Jacob Snyder, 1-2, double, RBI.
Link to story: https://www.pressenterpriseonl...
