By By AARON CARPENTER, Staff Correspondent
GREENVILLE — In the final game of the Jimmie R. Grimsley Hot Stove Baseball Tournament the Washington Pam Pack failed to hang on to a one run lead and had to watch as 13 runs crossed the plate for the J.H. Rose Rampants in the final two innings, giving Rose the 13-2 victory.
The first four innings of the game were some of the best the Pack have played all season. Washington (0-10, 0-4) was spectacular defensively and starting pitcher Brandon Thomas held the powerful Rose squad (11-1, 4-0) to just three hits. Leading off the third inning, Thomas even helped his own cause by lacing a pitch from Rose starter Scott McIntosh over the centerfield wall to give the Pack a 1-0 lead.
“Brandon did a nice job throwing strikes and throwing the ball to the outer half of the plate,” said Pack coach Darrin Vaughan. “When they started to make adjustments, he was able to throw a breaking ball or changeup for a strike.”
Thomas was also helped early on by some stellar infield and outfield play, most notably from shortstop Austin Thompson and centerfielder Weasel Moore.
In the first inning, Thompson made a great diving stop to his left came up throwing to get the third out. Thompson also started a 6-4-3 double play in the second after Rose’s third baseman Michael Spruill singled up the middle to start the inning. On Thomas’ very next pitch, Moore was able to just grab a fly ball off the grass while diving in the outfield.
Unfortunately for Washington, the wheels came off the bus in the fifth inning. Thomas’ pitching started to falter, and the first two batters for Rose reached safely. Left fielder Drew Piland singled up the third base line and catcher Patrick Roy was hit by a pitch. Second baseman Gray Garner moved the runners over with a sacrifice bunt.
Thomas walked the next batter to load the bases. Centerfielder Andrew Cain grounded the ball to Jake Duke at third, but Duke sailed the throw home over the catcher’s outstretched glove and two runs scored.
That was followed by a single up the middle from first baseman Carter Gagnon that brought another two runs in. Vaughan had seen enough and called in Michael Robinson to relieve Thomas.
“When Thomas got into trouble in the fifth, he was unable to locate his second pitch,” said Vaughan. “He started falling behind in the count and that led to the error and after the error we were never able to bounce back and limit the damage.”
Robinson didn’t work out quite as well as Vaughan might have hoped. Spruill walloped Robinson’s third pitch over the fence to make the score 6-1 in the Rampants’ favor. Robinson walked the next batter before designated hitter Matt Steele doubled down the left field line to bring shortstop Clark Massey around. Robinson promptly hit Piland, up for the second time in the inning, and Vaughan brought in Hatteras Brooks to pitch. Brooks retired the next two batters to momentarily end the carnage.
Relief pitcher Mark Wilder of Rose gave up a lead-off single to Moore in the bottom of the fifth, but easily got the next three batters out. The Washington pitching didn’t fare much better in the top of the sixth inning than it did in the fifth.
Right fielder Daniel Boyd led off with a double to left and Robinson walked Cain on four straight pitches. Gagnon reached safely when the ball came out of Duke’s glove as he tried to tag Boyd on his way to third, leaving runners at the corners for Spruill. The
Rampants’ third baseman drove in a run and reached first on a fielder’s choice. Massey was next to the plate and doubled to left on the first pitch of the at-bat, driving in two more runs for Rose, extending the lead to 10-1. Steele popped up to third for the second out of the inning.
However, Rose wasn’t finished. Piland smacked Robinson’s third pitch over the left field fence scoring Massey and himself. Vaughan brought Thompson in and Roy promptly took him deep over the left field wall as well. The next batter for Rose, Alec Scercy, hit the ball sharply, but lined out to Duke to end the top half of the sixth with Rose leading 13-1.
Washington managed to get a run back in the bottom half of the inning, but it wasn’t enough to prevent the mercy rule from taking effect.
J.H. ROSE - 000 076 X - 13
WASHINGTON - 001 001 X - 2
WP: Mark Wilder; LP: Brandon Thomas
Leading hitters: R - Patrick Roy 1-3 (HR, RBI, 2 R), Drew Piland 2-3 (HR, 2 RBI, 2 R), Matt Steele 1-4 (RBI), Clark Massey 1-3 (2 RBI, 2 R), Michael Spruill 2-3 (HR, 3 RBI, 2 R), Carter Gagnon 2-4 (2 RBI,R), Daniel Boyd 1-2 (2 R), Gray Garner 1-4; W - Jake Duke 1-3 (R), Christopher Everette 1-3, Weasel Moore 1-2, Brandon Thomas 1-1 (HR, RBI, R).