Bellaire Nips Whg. Central
NEFFS -- While pitching was at a premium Monday afternoon on John Blacker Field, it was miscues and three unearned runs that made the difference for homestanding Bellaire.
Wheeling Central had a pair of seventh inning ground balls that could have gotten the Maroon Knights out of the frame, however, an error on one and a hustling base-running play on the other chased home the game-winning two-out run for the Big Reds.
Luke Heatherington tossed a 3-hitter, fanning three and walking three, and Chance Maffe beat the shortstop to the bag at second allowing Jake Dowling to score as Bellaire scratched out a hard-earned 3-2 victory over Wheeling Central.
The loss spoiled a fine pitching effort from the Maroon Knights' Brayden Cover, who scattered six hits while setting down eight batters on strikes and issuing a pair of free passes. Unfortunately for Cover his defense committed four errors, most of which were very costly.
"Cover really brought it and made us battle at the plate," Bellaire coach Bailey McGrath admitted. "But our guy was rolling also. Sometimes it is just a matter of sitting back and taking what the other team gives you and we were able to be successful with that (Monday)."
While Cover fanned five through two innings the hosts gladly accepted a gift run in the second. Braydon Roth opened the frame getting hit by a pitch and quickly stole second before eventually going to third on an error. With two outs in the inning Roth brought home the game's first tally when the visitors committed a second miscue.
Wheeling Central got its first hit, and first run, in the fifth when Payton Hildebrand walked to lead things off, stole second and went to third on Cole Sutphin's base hit. Luke Tiu plated the first Knights' run with a run-scoring fielder's choice to knot the count at 1-1.
Bellaire got a run back in the home-half of the frame with Heatherington collecting a one-out single and stealing second. After a fielder's choice moved him to third he scored when Maffe reached on an error with a throw pulling the first baseman off the bag for a 2-1 score.
The Knights got a gift of their own in the seventh with Hildebrand and Tiu sandwiching singles around a strikeout. With runners at first and second with two outs what appeared to be a routine groundball was booted, allowing the tying run to cross the dish. The Reds were able to get out of the inning with no further damage.
Dowling singled with one out in the bottom of the inning and moved to second when Maffe walked. With two outs the visitors had what appeared to be a routine groundball to get them out of the inning, however, an error allowed the bases to load. Kaden Banal then sent a shot back up-the-middle that the shortstop fielded but Maffe was called safe at second as Dowling brought home the winning run.
All three of Bellaire's runs came with the bases loaded, but the Big Reds were unable to do any further damage in those three innings.
"They shut our bats down, but we took advantage of enough to get out of here with a win," McGrath added. "I really feel for those guys over there, that is a tough baseball team, but sometimes it's the little mistakes that hurt you the most and they couldn't overcome them."
Nobody had more than one single in the contest with all three of Central's hits coming at the bottom of the order.
"Both pitchers were on, but errors cost us big," Central coach Jason Rowe mentioned. "They battled and made plays and were able to take advantage of what we gave them.
"You can't continue to give a team four and five outs in an inning. Kudos to their pitcher and their defense, but we have been up and down at the plate all season with 14 hits one game and then two or three the next. We have to be more consistent."