Knights overcome errors in 7-6 win
Clifton Park 7 Jasper, Ind. 6
You can blame it on jet lag, you can blame it on rare air and being in the Pacific Northwest, but the Clifton Park Knights 14year-old Babe Ruth squad committed four errors Sunday morning at the World Series against Jasper, Ind., but still managed to pull out a 7-6 victory.
“We haven’t had that many errors in the state tournament or the MidAtlantic combined,” Clifton Park manager Tom Huerter said by phone Sunday afternoon. “To say that is was uncharacteristic would be an understatement.
“Pop ups have been an adventure on both sides because of the wind,” Huerter explained. “These are not routine plays that we have made in the past.”
The Knights were able to put a run on the board early against the Midwest Champion, Jasper, Ind. in the first inning, but that lead quickly evaporated for Clifton Park starter Michael Jeffers.
Jasper pushed across three runs on three hits and an error in the third inning and then added two runs without a hit and another Clifton Park error in the fourth for a 5-1 lead.
“Michael Jeffers didn’t pitch badly, he just had to pitch a lot because of some untimely errors,” Huerter said. “We hit a batter, walked a batter, with a fly ball that is not caught, two runs score. They get their confidence, their bench, their fans get into it. Another passed ball, there wasn’t a big hit, we just kicked the ball around.”
That didn’t deter the Clifton Park Knights, appearing in their second World Series event together.
“They definitely showed great composure, but I think they got mad at themselves because of themselves and not the other team outplaying us,” Huerter said. “We got some big hits. We hit the ball the entire game. When we opened it up, batter after batter came up with big hit.”
Clifton Park knotted the contest, 5-5 in the bottom of the fifth inning, scoring four runs on five hits and taking advantage of one error.
Jeffers hit a one-out single and came around to score on Matt Straney’s RBI single. Nik Malachowski delivered a timely RBI
double, plating Straney and the rally was on.
Ben Anderson’s single scored Malachowski, and he advanced to second after Johnny Cady was hit by a pitch. Anderson came around to score on Kevin Huerter’s two- out RBI single to tie the game.
Jeffers had reached his pre- determined pitch limit, going four innings, giving up five runs on three hits with only run being earned. He walked two batters and struck out two.
The Knight’s bats didn’t cool off in the sixth, giving reliever Cady some breathing room with two more runs.
Michael Spulnick was hit by a pitch before Jeffers delivered a two-strike double for the go- ahead run. He would come around to score on another Straney RBI single for a 7-5 lead.
“(Jeffers) looked at the first two pitches that were strikes and the kids were getting on him,” Huerter explained. “I told them to be quiet and said each batter has their own approach at the plate.
“He fouls off a couple pitches and then sends an outside, low fastball and drops it two feet way in right field, scores Spulnick. Then Straney comes up, hits the first pitch, a fastball into the hole in left.”
That insurance run couldn’t have been bigger as Jasper applied pressure in the top of the seventh.
Evan Aders reached on an error, moved to third on a single and scored on a dropped pop-fly, cutting the lead, 7-6, before Cady eliminated the final three batters.
At 2- 0 in pool play, Clifton Park is in the driver’s seat, owning two tiebreakers and next facing the World Series host, Moses Lake Tuesday night.
“We just played two very good teams and I think we’ll play one of those two teams again if we get out of pool play,” Huerter said. “We can’t take Moses Lake for granted. It’s got to be a mindset of not being about who we play, but how we play.”
The Knights have an early practice during their off day before a trip planned to enjoy the Cascade River and see some of the geography of the Pacific Northwest.