It took a while to get things rolling but the visiting Gladiators knocked off their country cousins 10-0 in six innings this afternoon. For the Bison fans, it might have actually been somewhat of a relief, thinking back to last year when the Big Red scored 13 runs in one inning and ended up crossing the 20-run mark.
The Gap kept things close for the first half of today's game as RHS only led 1-0 after three. But things turned sour for the home team in the fourth when a couple of unlucky bounces went against them. First a bad hop got past the third baseman, allowing a run to score. Then a blooper that cleared the shortstop but fell just short of the outfield added to the Bison misery when three of their players collided and ended up in a heap. That was all part of a four-run inning that put RHS on top 5-0.
Riverheads padded that lead to 8-0 in the fifth, and then in the home half, the Bison had their best chance to make some noise when they loaded the bases with nobody out. But after a pep talk, obviously a very productive one, from his pitching coach, Gladiator starter Levi Dunlap got out of the jam without allowing a run to score. He first induced a pop -up that catcher Chase Donathan hauled in right against the screen. Dunlap then bore down and struck out the final two batters to end the threat.
The Gladiators then added the final two runs that were needed to shorten the game in the top of the sixth. The Bison then went quietly with reliever Ryan Shover taking the mound to preserve the shutout.
In addition to the two hurlers combining for the goose-egg, the Gladiators got solid plate appearances from Will Gardner, who had RBI's in two different innings, and Logan Austin who I believe had two doubles today. Apologies if am leaving out any other major contributors.
With the win, I believe the Big Red is now in a three-way tie with Wilson and Fort Defiance, each at 4-1 in district play. That issue will be at least partially settled Friday, weather-permitting, when the Gladiators make the trip up to the Fort. A couple of weeks ago, a game with Waynesboro was scheduled for a Friday but moved up to Thursday to stay ahead of a rainy weekend, so don't be surprised if that idea is already being tossed around by the important people in charge of those decisions.
The Gap kept things close for the first half of today's game as RHS only led 1-0 after three. But things turned sour for the home team in the fourth when a couple of unlucky bounces went against them. First a bad hop got past the third baseman, allowing a run to score. Then a blooper that cleared the shortstop but fell just short of the outfield added to the Bison misery when three of their players collided and ended up in a heap. That was all part of a four-run inning that put RHS on top 5-0.
Riverheads padded that lead to 8-0 in the fifth, and then in the home half, the Bison had their best chance to make some noise when they loaded the bases with nobody out. But after a pep talk, obviously a very productive one, from his pitching coach, Gladiator starter Levi Dunlap got out of the jam without allowing a run to score. He first induced a pop -up that catcher Chase Donathan hauled in right against the screen. Dunlap then bore down and struck out the final two batters to end the threat.
The Gladiators then added the final two runs that were needed to shorten the game in the top of the sixth. The Bison then went quietly with reliever Ryan Shover taking the mound to preserve the shutout.
In addition to the two hurlers combining for the goose-egg, the Gladiators got solid plate appearances from Will Gardner, who had RBI's in two different innings, and Logan Austin who I believe had two doubles today. Apologies if am leaving out any other major contributors.
With the win, I believe the Big Red is now in a three-way tie with Wilson and Fort Defiance, each at 4-1 in district play. That issue will be at least partially settled Friday, weather-permitting, when the Gladiators make the trip up to the Fort. A couple of weeks ago, a game with Waynesboro was scheduled for a Friday but moved up to Thursday to stay ahead of a rainy weekend, so don't be surprised if that idea is already being tossed around by the important people in charge of those decisions.
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