Baseball News

Team Gold wins game two, but Team Black wins series

Needing to win game two to stay alive, Team Gold won game two 16-11 to force a game three, but Team Black was too much in the final game defeating Team Gold 10-6 to win Centre baseball's Fourth Annual Cols' World Series Sunday, Oct. 12 at Gary Wright Field in Danville, Ky.

Team Gold wasted little time jumping on the scoreboard in game two of the series scoring one run in both the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead. Team Gold continued to pour it on scoring two in the third, three in the fourth and five in the fifth to push the lead to 12-0.

Team Black didn't quit scoring three runs in the bottom of the fifth. Following a run in the top of the sixth by Team Gold, Team Black answered with seven more runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 13-10. Team Gold came back in the top of the seventh with three more runs and limited its opponents to only one run in the bottom of the seventh to hold on for a 16-11 win.

Freshman starting pitcher David Myers (Cincinnati, Ohio) earned the win for Team Gold tossing five innings. Myers allowed three unearned runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Freshman pitcher Brian Bascom (Cincinnati, Ohio) collected the save by throwing the final inning and a third.

Freshman pitcher Ben Lause (Mason, Ohio) took the loss for Team Black. Lause threw three innings, giving up four runs - three earned - on six hits. He walked one and struck out three.

Four different players had three hits each for Team Gold. Senior Brandon Rosen (Ashland, Ky.), junior C.J. Townsend (Beverly Farms, Mass.), sophomore Steven Proctor (Springfield, Ga.) and freshman Patrick Whalen (Lexington, Ky.) all had big games at the plate. Whalen also scored three runs and drove in three with a single, double and a triple. Rosen scored three runs and drove in two, while slugging his second home run of the series. Junior shortstop Steven Kull (Frankfort, Ky.) also hit his second long ball in as many games for Team Gold.

Team Black was led by junior Jose Ordonez (Dorchester, Mass.). Ordonez was four for five with four runs driven in and two runs scored. Senior Derrick Shepherd (Gray Hawk, Ky.), sophomore John Clark (Lexington, Ky.) and freshman Jordan Ellis (Crestwood, Ky.) collected two hits apiece, while sophomore Cory Crowdis (Louisville, Ky.) drove in two runs and also scored a pair. One of Clark's two hits was a solo home run to lead off the sixth.

Due to time, the two teams squared off in a five-inning game in game three of the series. The game was scoreless into the third inning, but quickly changed. Team Black scored six runs in to the top of the inning on only four hits. Freshmen Cameron Fishman (Northridge, Calif.) and Ellis had two-run singles in the inning, while Clark added a run-scoring double.

The six-run lead did not last long. Team Black quickly recorded the first two outs of the inning, but could not get the third without surrendering five runs. Following three straight walks to load the bases, Rosen singled in a run to make the score 6-1. Townsend then came to the plate and cleared the bases with a grand slam off the top of the left field fence to cut the lead to 6-5.

Team Black answered with a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth, while holding team Gold to a solo run in the bottom of the fifth for the series win.

Williams earned the win in relief of sophomore Andy Hagerman (Lexington, Ky.), who had pitched three innings two days earlier. Williams allowed one earned run in two innings to get the victory. Freshman Brady Bickers (Carrollton, Ky.) took the loss allowing four earned runs in 1.1 innings.

Team Black had five players record multiple hits, led by Ellis' three for three performance with three rbi. Williams, Crowdis, Clark and Fishman all had two hits apiece, with Fishman driving in a team-high four runs in the win.

Townsend was two for three for Team Gold with the grand slam and four rbi. Rosen and Whalen each had a hit in the loss.

Ellis was named the MVP of the series after hitting .667 for the weekend with five runs driven in, two runs scored, two walks and two doubles. He led all players in batting average and on-base percentage and tied for the lead in hits and rbis. In addition, he also hit .800 in Team Black's two victories, including a 3 for 3 performance with three runs driven in, in the decisive game-three win.

The Cols` World Series caps off a succesful fall for the Colonels. The team continue to work out over the winter on their own in preparation for the 2009 spring season.