Notre Dame edges Towanda at Mansfield University Invitational; Knights fall to Edison in consolation.
By: The Review | Towanda Daily Review | April 28, 2013 | Photo courtesy The Review
2013 NTL and District 4 News
ELMIRA, N.Y. - In the opening game of the Mansfield University baseball tournament hosted by Dunn Field it looked like Towanda would cruise after scoring five runs in the first inning.
But Notre Dame hung tough and rebounded to send it into extra innings where they found redemption with an 8-7 win over the Black Knights in nine innings Saturday.
"We jumped out," Towanda coach Bill Sexton said. "We really had control of this ball game early on. You get a five nothing lead before you ever go on the field defensively. You should be able to play with that kind of league."
However, the miscues added up for the Knights.
"We couldn't pitch effectively with the exception of (Dylan) Bates," Sexton said. "I brought Bates into a real tough situation in there, after he gave up the one hit he was solid. He kept us in the ball game and we had a chance to extend the lead there. I was very pleased with Dylan this afternoon. But we need to be better, we can't give them as many four out innings as we did and we've got to win games. When you're up 5-0 you have to win the game."
Crusader coach Bill Hopkins was excited for his young team as they battled back.
"I think that's a quality win for our players beating a highly regarded program like Towanda," he said. "Towanda's a fine baseball team, were very fortunate to beat them."
On Friday Notre Dame was down one with bases loaded with two outs against Edison only to have a hard hit ball find a glove for the final out.
This time with bases loaded the hard hit ball found a gap and they pulled it out.
"It's funny how the game works," commented Hopkins. "Three, four feet we beat Edison, three, four feet we win earlier."
The Black Knights showed just how potent offensively the can be in the first inning.
Brandon Dinelli led off with a single followed by Jared Lines walking. A fielder's choice off the bat of Nick Place would score Dinelli but make it two outs. Austin Markel kept it alive with a single scoring Lines.
Markel reached second followed by Sawyer Strope knocking him in to make it 3-0 Knights. Two batters later Mitch Patel made it 5-0 with a 2-run double.
Notre Dame came back in the second as Derek Marshall and Kyle Metzger drew back to back walks, followed by Kyle Minchin hitting a single to load the bases.
Sam Bruner followed with a 2-run single to make it 5-2. A Hunter Thomas single brought in Minchin but the Knights stopped the rally right there.
After a scoreless third Towanda got more runs in the fourth as Dinelli and Lines led off with back to back singles. They would eventually scored on wild pitches to give the Knights a 7-3 advantage.
Things looked bleak for the Crusaders until the sixth inning when Minchin started a one out rally with a single. Bruner and Thomas hit back to back doubles, scoring Minchin.
A Tyler Boyles single brought in Bruner and Thomas to cut it to 7-6.
After another out was recorded an error followed by a walk loaded the bases. Marshall was able to draw a walk to bring in Boyles and knot it up at 7-all.
In the eighth Notre Dame was able to get the bases loaded with two outs but the Knights found a way out of the jam, but no such luck in the ninth.
Bruner hit a one out single, followed by Thomas striking out. Boyles drew a walk while Carson reached on an error allowing Wyatt Martin to hit the game winning line drive into left field.
Bruner went 4-for-5 to lead Notre Dame with a double, 2-RBI and two runs scored. May was 3-for-4 with an RBI, Minchin 2-for-5 with two runs scoed and Thomas 2-for-6 with a run scored and 2-RBI. Boyles and Marshall had the other hits.
Carson started but only went 2/3 of an inning with Boyles coming on in relief. He allowed three walks, four hits and four earned runs.
Boyles would go the next 5 1/3-innings with six strikeouts, three walks, three hits and two runs.
Parker would come on for the final two, earning the win. He struck out three while allowing one hit.
For Towanda Dinelli went 2-for-3 with two runs while Strope was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Lines, Place, Markel and Patel had the other hits.
Lines scored twice while Landon Brown and Tye Fowler also scored.
Place, Markel and James also knocked in runs.
The Knights went through five pitchers in an effort to keep their bullpen ready for the next game and undefeated Canton on Monday.
Markel started but went one inning with one strikeout, four walks, two hits and three earned runs. Bates came on and pitched for three innings, striking out five while allowing just one hit.
Kye Johnson went 1 2/3-innings with five hits and four runs followed by Place coming on for two batters.
Dinelli finished out, striking out five while allowing four walks, two hits and one run, which was unearned.
"I wasn't displeased with Dinelli," Sexton commented. "He came into it at the end. Things just kind of got out of control in the last one."
It was another tough one for Towanda in the consolation game as they fell to Edison 6-5.
The Knights scored four runs in the second inning to take a 4-1 lead but Edison came back with three in the third to knot things up.
They scored two in the sixth to go up 6-4. Towanda got one back in the bottom half of the inning but couldn't quite complete the comeback.
Place, Markel and James had the three Black Knight hits while Bates scored twice with Patel, Lines and Cole Sexton scoring once. Bates, Markel, Strope and Patel each drove in a run.
Markel started again, going 2 2/3-innings with three strike outs, four walks, four hits and four earned runs. Ty Johnson went 1/3 of an inning followed by Strope going the final four with four strikeouts, two walks, three hits and two earned runs. He falls to 2-2 on the year.
"Just a long, frustrating day," Coach Bill Sexton summed up the weekend. "We had opportunities to win both ball games and kind of let them slip away. We've got some work to do, we have a tough game with Canton on Monday."
In the championship game Notre Dame fell to top ranked Lansing 11-9, a game that didn't end until after midnight.
"We had our chances against Lansing tonight," Hopkins remarked.
He's hoping that they use this momentum to carry them through the rest of the season.
"We now know as a team we can comeback as we did against Edison," Hopkins explained. "And come back and win. I'm pleased to see that and I hope we carry that on for the rest of the year."
