United @ B-PC/A (Baseball)
(4/9/10)
AM 1330 WRAM Game of the Week
The Friday WRAM game of the week takes me to Bushnell to follow the United Red Storm baseball team. This game features a team that hasn't played too many games in United (5) against the host Spartans (10).
A beautiful day at the ballpark, with only a slight breeze out of the west, temperatures about 10 degrees warmer than the day before, and not a cloud in the sky. I arrived at the ballpark about 3:45 after stopping off at Casey's in Bushnell for a bottle of water. I think I own a 1% stake in Casey's General Store with all of the money I spend while on the road.
A couple of familiar umpires were doing today's game, Chris Smith (my former K100 morning show partner) and Nick Knowles of Macomb, who lives just down the street from me.
The B-PC baseball facility is one of the nicest small school baseball diamonds in the area. The field is always top-notch, and for the media, it has a press box. The press box is a little difficult to access, even for the nimble.
A narrow staircase leads you up to the 2nd floor, above the concession stand. For some reason, the concessions were not open today. I am pretty sure they were selling hot chocolate in there the day before, which shows how much the weather changed in 24 hours.
Carrying a couple bags filled with radio equipment, I feel like Indiana Jones scaling a temple in South America, without the poison darts. After safely climbing into my position, I grabbed the digital recorder to head down and get a coaches interview. Looking through my bags, for some reason, no pens, so I made my way back to the car to get a pen.
First, I went over and talked with United head coach Rick Johnson. He is a co-head coach with Steve Cairns. Steve wasn't at the game, as he was in the Quad Cities finalizing the adoption of his first child.
Rick and I talked at length for our pregame interview. The Red Storm have some quality wins, defeating both Rockridge and Knoxville, with losses to Abingdon, North Fulton, and the third loss escapes me.
Over in the other dugout, I spoke with B-PC/A head coach Dave Arnold. His Spartans have struggled to a (2-7) start, but have been improving. B-PC/A is very inexperienced with several players out for the first time in a couple years.
The pitching matchup was United's Nick Hull (2.08 ERA, 14 K, 4 BB) against B-PC/A's Zach Anderson (0-0). This was Anderson's first start, and has four mound appearances for the Spartans.
Back up in the box, I had to get things set up, and shortly after 4:00, I made the call in to check my levels and log into the radio station on my computer. We were on the air at about 4:20, and had just enough time to get the pregame interview in and started the first inning. Sometimes, they play the National Anthem before games in Bushnell, other times not. Today, no Anthem.
It was a strange ending to the first half of the first inning. The Red Storm scored their first run, when Mikey Paschal scored on a Sheldon Welch RBI single. Then, with Jackson Brentise at the plate, he hit a lazy pop fly into centerfield for the second out, and it looked like both Nick Hull and Sheldon Welch scored, to make it 3-0. The umpires came in and said to wave off a run, actually both runs. The teams went to their dugouts. After some explanation, the runner left early, which was appealed by Spartans coach Arnold, and the Red Storm had committed their third out, and led 1-0 in the first inning.
The Spartans' leadoff hitter, Devon Raleigh hit a single to lead off the bottom of the frame, then was caught stealing. Matt Bartlett also had a basehit, and starter Nick Hull struck out two to end the inning.
Two more Red Storm runs were plated in the 2nd inning. Dalton McMullan led off with a double, and Devon Wade hit a single. Those two scored on a two-run single by Mikey Paschal. Hull and Welch ended the inning with pop flys. Hull sat down the side all via the strikeout in the second inning, and would strikeout the first two batters in the 3rd. Hull finished with 10 strikeouts in 5 innings.
United scored two more runs in the third, with Alex Gavin and Jackson Brentise crossing the plate. One more run scored in the 4th inning, after Hull reached on an error at shortstop. In the bottom of the 4th, B-PC/A made a little run, and started to get the bat on the ball, scoring three runs, and rapping out three hits.
Zach Ebbert led off the inning with a single, followed by a Matt Bartlett hit. Brandon Coates (.390 coming in), hit them in on a 2-run double. Coates would advance to third on a wild pitch, then score on a wild pitch, to make it 6-3. Hull sat down Mitch Murphy on a strikeout, walked Zach Anderson, got Cedric Huffman to line out on a dribbler, then struck out Dallas Stranger to end the inning.
United more than made up for those three runs in the 5th inning, plating six runs. Zach Cook led off with a double. Geoffrey Hahn followed with a single, Mikey Paschal reached on an error, Nick Hull hit an RBI single, Sheldon Welch followed with an RBI single, then Alex Gavin hit a double. The seventh batter of the frame, pinch hitter Evan Powell, was the first out. Dalton McMullan and Devon Wade both hit RBI singles, to give the visiting Red Storm a 12-3 edge.
Three Spartans reached base in the bottom of the 5th, but none would score. United had some troubles on defense, committing two errors. B-PC/A loaded the bases after Trevor King reached on an error, Zach Ebbert singled, and Matt Bartlett reached on an error. With the bases loaded, Brandon Coates hit into a fielders choice, in which United threw to home getting the lead runner out. Mitch Murphy worked Hull into a full count, but struck out to end the inning.
The Red Storm scored their 13th run to make it a 10-run game in the 6th inning. The Spartans had one hit against relief pitcher Mikey Paschal in the bottom of the 6th inning (Dallas Stranger). United improved to (3-3) with a 13-3 win at B-PC/A.
United's Sheldon Welch went 3-5 with an RBI and run, Mikey Paschal went 2-3 with 2 RBI and 2 runs, Geoffrey Hahn went 3-5 with a run, Nick Hull went 2-3 with 2 runs, Alex Gavin went 2-3 with 2 runs, and Jackson Brentise went 2-3, 2 runs, and 2 stolen bases.
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