American Legion ‘A’ Stars fall to Caldwell, 9-8
West Division race heats up with Stars and Caldwell sitting on top
By Scott Ford
Argus Observer
Thursday, June 25, 2009 10:21 AM PDT
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| Scott Ford | Argus Observer
Stars’ Nico Martinez takes a cut at a pitch during an American Legion baseball game Wednesday in Caldwell. The Stars and Caldwell Bobcats battled back and forth the entire game, but it was Caldwell coming away with a 9-8 win. |
Caldwell—After jumping out to an early 5-0 lead in the top of the first inning, the ‘A’ Stars soon found themselves playing catchup against the Caldwell Bobcats Wednesday, and came up short, losing 9-8.
“I am real proud of the kids,” Caldwell head coach Pat Lyon said. “They (Treasure Valley) put five runs on us in the first inning, and these boys did not give in to that.”
The Stars made their move early with a five-run first inning, hoping to put the Bobcats on their heels and reeling, but it just did not happen.
Caldwell answered the call with three runs in the bottom of the first inning and three more in the bottom of the second inning for the 6-5 lead.
In the top of the third inning, Stars’ Nate Rutten drew a walk. Rutten scored on a ground-out hit by Tony Trejo to tie the game at six.
Caldwell answered with two runs in the bottom of the third inning off Treasure Valley’s starting pitcher Coleson Warrington.
Warrington gave up a leadoff single to Caldwell’s Tommy Sawyer, then walked Zach Ozunia, and Stars head coach Russ Wright made his move.
Wright called on Reed Johnson to get his team out of the jam.
The first batter Johnson faced, Caldwell’s Ryan Ford, gave the lead back to the Bobcats as Ford laced a two RBI single to right field, scoring both Sawyer and Ozunia, making the score 8-6.
The Stars did not give up, and, in the top of the sixth inning, tied the game at eight with two runs.
Caldwell walked the leadoff batter, Garrett Bowen, who was later thrown out at third for the first out of the inning on a single hit by Tyler Graves.
Graves was driven home on a sacrifice off the bat of Miguel Rios to make the score 8-7 in favor of the Bobcats.
Nico Martinez was hit by a pitch, then stole second and third base, and, on the steal to third, the Caldwell catcher threw the ball away, allowing Martinez to tie the game at eight.
In the home half of the sixth inning, the Bobcats clawed out the eventual game-winning run.
Caldwell’s Ryan Thompson drew a walk and later scored on an error.
Down to their final three outs of the game, the Stars did not go quietly. Following two quick outs, a strike out and a flyout, the Stars were one out away from their first West Division loss of the season.
Jake Mellenthin prolonged the drama with a single, followed by another single off the bat of Trejo, which put the game-winning runs on the basepaths for Bowen, but Bowen grounded to the shortstop to end the game.
“We made a few mistakes today,” Stars head coach Russ Wright said. “We did not play well today. We did not have good at-bats the entire game. We made some mistakes on the bases, but we just did not do enough things to win the game.”
The Stars will hit the diamond at 7 p.m. Friday, hosting Columbia.
