Flashes falter late, drop two to Magee
Published 12:51 am Sunday, March 13, 2011
Magee didn’t do nearly as much to spoil St. Aloysius’ homecoming as the Flashes did themselves.
St. Al wasted a four-run lead in the top of the seventh inning, left the bases loaded in the bottom half, then allowed the go-ahead run to score on an error in the eighth.
The series of mistakes allowed Magee to steal a 10-9 victory in the first game of a doubleheader Saturday at Bazinsky Field, and the Trojans completed the sweep with a 21-1 rout in game two.
“(Judson) Gatling pitched a great game, and we just couldn’t finish it for him defensively,” St. Al coach Jacan Warren said. “The effort is there. We’ve just got to finish ballgames. It’s as simple as that.”
St. Al (0-6) was playing its first home game of the season. It heads back on the road Monday for four games at the Lake tournament and won’t return to Bazinsky Field until March 25 against West Lincoln.
Between now and then, the Flashes must indeed find a way to finish off opponents. Saturday’s loss in game one was their second in extra innings this season. They rallied from a three-run deficit in the fourth inning to take an 8-4 lead into the seventh, then let it slip away.
Gatling pitched 6 1/3 innings before giving up a pair of RBI doubles in the seventh. The second one, by Cody Sartin, cut it to 8-6 and ended Gatling’s day. The senior gave way to a freshman, Carlisle Koestler, who struggled with his control and couldn’t slam the door.