Erath Bobcats win sixth straight game

ERATH - The Erath Bobcats put their five game winning streak up against district rivals, the Kaplan Pirates, and despite the rain and wind that blew in towards the end of the game, the Bobcats were able to pull out the 4-2 victory to move their winning streak up to six
“We have to give a lot of credit to our defense,” Erath Head Coach David Jordan said. “It was just a weird day for baseball. With the wind and the rain that blew in. For me on an erie day like this, I’m just glad we were able to get the win.”
The Pirates would fire the first volley, as they scored two runs in the top of the first inning, thanks to a Brady Mott RBI triple, and Slade Bouillion, who drove Mott in.
It would only take the Bobcats one inning to respond as they scored two runs of their own on a Ben LeBlanc two RBI single, in the bottom of the second inning.
After the second inning both starting pitchers, Ross Granger for Erath and Mott for Kaplan, settled in and started pitching well.
Between both teams in the next three innings they only combined for two total hits in the third through fifth inning.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bobcats found themselves with runners on second and third. With two outs in the inning, the eight hole batter, Alec Toups, stepped up and hit a double into the gap in right-center field to drive in two runs.
“The sixth inning was a big inning for us,” Jordan said. “It was so big because our eight hole batter who stepped up and finally got the big hit we needed. Plus, it was the inning that won us the game.
The Pirates tried to mount a comeback in the top of the seventh.
They had the bases loaded with two outs and the final batter struck out to end the game.
“We lost this game well before the last inning,” Kaplan Head Coach Sam Taulli said. “We made so many errors earlier in the game. Is it frustrating that we couldn’t score with the bases loaded, yes, but that isn’t what lost us the game.
“For us it’s all about learning to win games, and I’m proud of the team because earlier this year, this may have been a much bigger loss than it was. So we are making strides, it’s just tough when you had your chances to win and just couldn’t get it done.”
Ross Granger was the starting pitcher for the Bobcats, and he pitched all seven innings.
In those seven innings, he allowed only two runs on only four hits. He also struck out nine Pirates’ batters.
The Bobcats record now stands, thanks to a six-game winning streak, at 11-9 overall and 3-0 on the season.
Brady Mott is going to be credited with the loss even though he pitched well.
Mott pitched all six innings, and only gave up four runs on six hits.
“Brady (Mott) pitched well enough to win,” Taulli said. “We just let him down, defensively.”
The Pirates record now falls to 7-14 overall and 2-3 in district play.
These two teams will meet back up in Kaplan tonight. Game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
“I think we are ready to play them again,” Taulli said. “Rhett (Gaspard) will be on the mound for us, and he has been throwing really well the past couple of weeks. I think we will be hungry to get back at them, especially since we could have won this game.”
Again, the first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. tonight in Kaplan.