Tigers Take Two
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Maranatha | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
|
Grace Christian (MI) | 2 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 17 | 16 | 2 |
LEAD
WYOMING, Mich. -- The Sabercats dropped the resumed game as well as a second game following that one on a day of offensive and defensive woes.
Drew Smith crushed an RBI double and Wyatt Arterberry drove in his first career RBI to lead the bench in a massive final inning.
OVERVIEW
- Game One: Maranatha 0-7 Grace Christian (resumed in the third inning from Friday)
- Game Two: Maranatha 5-17 Grace Christian
- Venue: Lamar Park
- Location: Wyoming, Mich.
- Attendance: -
- Records: MBU (0-17), GCU (3-31)
STORY
As Maranatha resumed play from game two in the third inning, they started strong and continued to compete. David Cripps started the game on Friday and continued on to pitch in the Saturday half, continuing to deal for several innings. He shut down the Tigers in the third and fourth, allowing the Sabercats chances to tie the game at one apiece.
Unfortunately, the offense just could not scratch across anything as they struggled to get runners on and come up with a clutch hit. The Tigers fed off the strong pitching they got and scored another run in the bottom of the fifth, but the game was still close. Maranatha got two men on with two outs in the sixth, but the offensive story of the season continued where they just cannot get the big-time, clutch hit with a man in scoring position. They failed to score in the sixth, then the Tigers finally got to Cripps in the bottom half, tagging him for five runs on three hits and a couple of walks. Despite a strong showing in the two-day game, the Sabercats fell short 7-0.
-
Game three started much differently than the previous game. Maranatha immediately loaded the bases within the first three hitters. Tim Nickels then drove in a run with the first hit with runners in scoring position since game one on a single to left. But on the next play, Jonah Bailey smacked a perfectly located ball for a sacrifice fly opportunity, but the runner left third base early and had to go back, resulting in the runner on second base getting tagged out and the inning coming to a premature end.
That's when the wheels came off. Maranatha went on to coming three errors in the bottom of the first to allow Grace Christian to score two runs on just two hits. After failing to cash in another runner in scoring position in the second, the Sabercats committed three more errors to allow seven more runs to score. The defense cleaned up for about three innings, but it fell apart again in the sixth, allowing six more runs to score to make it a 17-1 deficit. Meanwhile, the offense continued to struggle and never come up with clutch hits.
That is until several pinch hitters came in during the top of the seventh. Jared Martin ripped a single down the third-base line for his second hit of the season, and after Sam Ratledge got hit by a pitch, Drew Smith crushed a double to the left-field wall to drive in a run. Wyatt Arterberry then stepped in and singled up the middle to drive in another run, his first career RBI. Joshua Meals hit a soft dribbler to second that forced a rushed throw to pull the shortstop off the bag at second base, scoring another run. A couple of batters later, Michah Bailey drew a bases-loaded walk, his best at-bat of the day in which he came back from an 0-2 count to draw the walk. But the Tigers were able to stop the bleeding before Maranatha could come within ten runs to continue the game, and the Sabercats dropped the second game 17-5, despite the incredible efforts of the bench players.
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Maranatha Lineup (Game One) - 7- D. Cripps (P), 19- T. Smith (SS), 8- Cummins (3B), 23- Nickels (1B), 4- J. Bailey (C), 9- M. Bailey (CF), 15- J. Piranian (LF), 3- Croswell (2B), 10- M. Cripps (RF)
Maranatha Lineup (Game Two) - 7- D. Cripps (C), 19- T. Smith (SS), 8- Cummins (P), 23- Nickels (1B), 4- J. Bailey (3B), 9- M. Bailey (CF), 10- M. Cripps (RF), 3- Croswell (2B), 22- Hockema (LF)
STATS
OPPONENTS
- Grace Christian competes in the NCCAA DII Mideast Region
- Grace Christian is a first-year baseball program
- Grace Christian has 15 freshmen on their 17-player roster
NEXT
The Sabercats finish the season with a week chock-full of home games, beginning by hosting Northland College on Monday at 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. Follow at mbusabercats.com.
