Cavemen Stage 9th Inning Rally

    by
    PhotoGuy
    Published on 07-13-2010
    0 Comments Comments


    [I]by Andy Oldenburg
    Hannibal Cavemen Baseball

    After escaping a ninth inning jam the previous night, Hannibal faced a one run deficit Sunday afternoon going into their last at bat. The Cavemen would come away with the come from behind victory in a day filled with defensive woes by both teams. Hannibal’s 6-5 win marked their fourth consecutive victory and improved their record to 3-0 in the second half of the season.

    Find more Hannibal Cavemen news at the team's official website:
    Hannibal Cavemen Official Site (CLICK HERE)

    Jerry Hildreth (Mississippi Valley State) led off the bottom of the first for the Cavemen with a double down the left field line. Hildreth would later steal third for his 16th stolen base of the year. LJ Watson (William Woods) would then hit a soft grounder in front of the plate and Hildreth would score on an error by Dupage starting pitcher Steve Dennison.

    Trailing 1-0, Dupage would capitalize on a defensive miscue by Hannibal in the top of the second. Seth Batty would reach on an error by Cavemen centerfielder Matt Burton and designated hitter Alex Staehely would later drive Batty in with an RBI double to tie the score at one.

    The Dragons took a 2-1 lead after third basemen Trey Martin delivered an RBI single.

    Hannibal re-gained the lead in the third after Dupage second basemen Steve Dalporto booted a groundball which allowed Jake Hermsen (Northern Illinois University) and LJ Watson to score. Watson would add another run in the bottom of the seventh inning after an RBI groundout. The Cavemen entered the eighth with a 4-2 lead.

    Zach LaSuzzo entered from the bullpen in the eighth and hit the only two Dragons batters he faced. James Hudelson (Missouri) would come on in relief of LaSuzzo in hopes of stopping the damage for the Cavemen. However, Dupage would capitalize on the situation after Seth Batty drove in two with a single to center and the score was tied at four. Steve Dalporto would give the Dragons a 5-4 lead in the ninth with an RBI single.

    Jake Hermsen would reach base on an error to start off the ninth for the Cavemen. Nick Rountree (Redlands Community College) followed with a base hit and Hannibal had runners on first and second with no one out. Jerry Hildreth layed down a successful sacrifice bunt and runners were now at second and third. After an intentional walk to LJ Watson, Brooks Fiala (Miami of Ohio) blooped an infield single to tie the game at five. Ryan Porter (Rockhurst) would come to the plate and hit a grounder to second and Dupage couldn’t successfully complete the double play which allowed Nick Rountree to score the winning run.

    James Hudelson picked up the win in relief for the Cavemen while Ryan Camp suffered the loss for Dupage. Hannibal (17-15) hosts Dubois County Monday night at historic Clemens Field with the first pitch at 6:35 PM (CT).

    ------------