Howard Homers Again, Eaton Shines in DH Split with Boars
With 5 games now in the books, the Redlegs stand at 2-3 after running through a gauntlet of the four teams that currently stand in the top four positions in the league standings. Those four teams have a combined record of 12-4. On Sunday, Camden went up against an undefeated Boars squad and fought their way to a double header split as they dropped game one 14-6 but rebounded in the nightcap to win 7-1.
The Redlegs shot themselves in the foot right away in game 1, as they committed 4 errors in the top of the first that led to 6 Wild Boar runs, all being unearned. They did manage to keep the game interesting early on, as they stayed within striking distance through the first half of the game.
Trailing 6-0, they got 3 back right away in the bottom of the 1st. Jacob Robinson singled to start the frame, followed by a walk to Jesse Jones. Kyle Arend then blasted a double which brought both runs home. Lucas Smith, running for Arend, would later score on a well-placed ground ball out to 2nd base by Tyler Eaton.
After the Boars tacked on two more in the top of the 2nd, Camden matched them in the bottom half. Cameron Svarda started the inning with a triple, followed by a walk to Eric Jameson. Jacob Robinson then singled in a run and later another run scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Arend. Unfortunately, that would be the bulk of the runs scored, and the Boars only pulled away from there. The last run for Camden came around in the 6th inning when Jacob Robinson singled home Cody Saraco-Polner who led the inning off with a base hit.
Although there was not much defense to write about, things could have been worse as a few runs were potentially saved in the 7th thanks to a diving snag by Brandon Howard at 2nd base with the bases loaded and a drawn in infield. Howard dove to his left and snagged the grounder and was able to fire to first from his knees to get the out, which would eventually lead to two stranded baserunners.
Game two was a different story. The Redlegs were in the driver’s seat for the entire game, thanks in large part to an outstanding debut on the mound by newcomer Tyler Eaton. Eaton kept the hot hitting Boars at bay as he went the distance, allowing just 6 hits while recording 5 strikeouts over 7 innings of work. His shutout bid was spoiled in the 6th when the Boars tried to rally. After a leadoff single, the next batter smacked what looked like a double into he right center gap. Jacob Robinson was able cut it off and hit cutoff man Jesse Jones who fired on to a waiting Brandon Howard at 2nd who applied the tag just in time. The runner did score in the next at bat, and the Boars ended up putting men on 1st and 2nd with one out looking for more. But Mike Hartman was ready to save the day, as he made a diving stop at 3rd base, popped to his feet and raced to 3rd to record the force and still was able to fire on to first to complete the inning ending double play. Eaton retired the side in order in the bottom of the 7th.
Offensively, Camden put 6 runs on the board in the first 3 innings which was more than enough cushion for Eaton. Jacob Robinson started the game with a single, and later Mike Hartman reached on an error with two outs. This brought Brandon Howard to the plate, who launched his 2nd home run of the season over the right field fence to put the Redlegs up by 3 in the early going. Saraco-Polner started things off with a base hit in the 2nd and later scored on a triple off the bat of Jacob Robinson. Mike Hartman singled to start the 3rd, and Brandon Howard walked to put two on with none out. Tyler Eaton then brought a run home on a ground out, and anther run scored thanks to an errant pitch that made its way to the back stop. Brandon Howard added his 4th RBI on a sacrifice fly in the 7th to add the final run scored by the Redlegs, which brought the score to what would end up being the final tally at 7-1.
The league is off for the upcoming Mother’s day weekend, but the Redlegs will be back in action on Sunday May 16th against the expansion Southern Ohio Stars (0-5) at Madison High School in a double header beginning at 1:00pm.