10-19-06C

World Series Concludes Fall Practice

The Heidelberg College baseball team wrapped up its 2006 fall season with the annual Orange/Black World Series held October 14th and 15th. The Orange team took the series over the Black team two games to one. The Black team opened the series with a 4-3 win, but the Orange team posted a 6-0 win in game two and a 6-3 win in the final game to claim the series.

In game one action the Black jumped out to an early lead with a run in the top of the first off a Jack Bault (Randolph, Ohio / Waterloo) leadoff single and an Alex Rutter (Bowling Green) RBI single. The Orange quickly answered with its own run in the bottom of the first when Jeremy Wentworth (Johnstown, Ohio / St. Charles) singled to start off the inning. He went first to third on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a Matt Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield) sacrifice fly to right field. The Orange would go on to tack on a run in the second and third inning to increase their lead to 3-1. In the top of the fifth Orange’s lead was diminished as the Black scored three in the frame off Orange starter Andrew McFarland (Mansfield, Ohio / Madison) to take the lead 4-3.

Bault led the way offensively for the Black as he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Matt Grassley (Gross Pointe, Mich. / North) and Rutter each posted an RBI, while L.B. Emrhein (Seven Hills, Ohio / Padua) and Mike Blanchard (Mansfield, Ohio / Madison) each tallied a run scored.

Black starting pitcher David Paddock (Westerville, Ohio / North) went a complete game allowing three runs on six hits, while striking out six to earn himself the win on the mound. Offensively the Orange team was lead by Wentworth and Matt Decker as Wentworth went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and Matt Decker posted two RBI’s going 1-for-2.

In game two of the series the Orange team showed it wasn't going down without a fight as it shut-out the Black 6-0 to knot up the series at a game a piece. After producing with his bat in game one, senior Matt Decker took to the mound in game two hurling six innings of two hit, shut-out ball. The Orange once again scored early, but this time did not look back. Wentworth stayed hot at the plate starting the game off for the Orange with another leadoff single. After a stolen base and an RBI single by Tony Pawlowicz (Montpelier, Ohio / Montpelier) the Orange was on top 1-0.

The Orange would add another run in the inning as Matt Hille (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead) plated Matt Decker to extend the lead to two. After being held scoreless for three innings, the Orange bats awoke once again to pound out four runs in the fifth, being sure to take advantage of the Black team’s defensive mishaps. Matt Decker and Pawlowicz led the way offensively by collecting two hits a piece.

With the series tied up, game three proved to be a battle to the last out. The Orange team continued its ways of taking the early lead with two runs in the top of the first inning. After lacing a single up the middle off starter T.J. Grof (Oak Harbor, Ohio / Oak Harbor), Wentworth advanced to third on an Everett Thomas (Evansville, Ind. / Harrison) single. Taking advantage of his speed on the base paths, Thomas stole second base safely allowing Wentworth to take home on the throw. Thomas later scored on a Hille base hit to left field. The Orange team starting pitcher Andrew Hamman (Peru, Ind. / Peru) held the Black team scoreless until the fourth inning when Biagio Boytim (Brunswick, Ohio / Brunswick) hit a solo home run to bring the game within a run.

It did not take long for the Orange team to once again extend its lead to two runs as Wentworth once again got things going, reaching on an error to lead off the fifth. Wentworth would go on to score later in the inning on an errant throw on a double play. Boytim showed he was not finished yet as he blasted his second home run of the game to cut the deficit to one.

The game would remain close until the seventh inning when catcher Steve Decker (Maumee, Ohio / Springfield) smashed a three run home run off reliever Justin Ocheltree (Bellville, Ohio / Clearfork). With the lead now at four, reliever Thomas was called on to finish the game for the Orange team. Thomas retired the side in order in the seventh, but experienced some trouble as the Black team threatened in the bottom of the eighth. After the first two batters were unable to reach, a walk and back-to-back singles by Rutter and Boytim brought the lead back down to three, but Thomas forced a game ending groundball to seal the game and the series.