MHS hangs on at Verbena
Published 10:30 pm Thursday, April 1, 2010
Verbena fought back from a 10-4 sixth inning deficit on Thursday but left the game tying run on first base as the game ended in a 10-8 Maplesville win.
Verbena (3-10) seemed to have an answer for everything Maplesville (6-8) did.
Visiting Maplesville scored two runs in the top of the first inning, and Verbena scored one run in the bottom half of the inning.
Maplesville tacked on another run, and Verbena tied it at three.
The fatal blow for the hosts came in the top of the fifth inning, when Maplesville scored five runs on four hits—and chased Verbena starting pitcher Christian Coston from the game.
—
Tyler Crumpton, Maplesville: 2/3, BB, 2B, RBI, R
Bay Lucas, Verbena: 1/3, BB, RBI, 2 R
Jacob Montgomery, Verbena: 2/4, RBI, 2 R
Jared White, Maplesville: 2/3, BB, 2 R
Verbena miscues were costly. An error let the first runner to touch home plate in the inning, Blake Crumpton, move into scoring position.
Bobby Smith was hit by a pitch and would later score, and Tyler Crumpton was walked and would later score.
Still, the damage would have been manageable if not for a two-out, two-run double to center field by Casey Atchison.
Verbena got one run back in the bottom of the fifth, but Maplesville added two more in the sixth to make it 10-4.
Verbena then attempted an improbable comeback. The hosts returned the favor and made the most of Maplesville mistakes to score three runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Runners that reached base via an error, hit by pitch and a walk all came around to score to make it 10-7.
Relief pitcher Kelly Lucas kept Maplesville off the scoreboard in the top of the seventh, and the first three Verbena batters in the bottom of the seventh—Lucas, Jacob Montgomery and Garrett Dennis—all hit safely.
One run was all the Red Devils could get across, though, against Maplesville pitcher Aron Smitherman, who earned the save.