Manchester Shut Out By Maconaquah In 1-0 Loss
April 27, 2023 at 12:02 a.m.
Manchester Shut Out By Maconaquah In 1-0 Loss
By Connor McCann-
Manchester starter Gavin Martin didn’t have to wait long to throw meaningful pitches, as the visitors from Maconaquah wasted no time putting pressure on the junior hurler. The Braves were able to put their first four hitters on base, but were unable to score. The first out came from the rocket arm of catcher Garrett Sites, who threw out a Maconaquah baserunner attempting to steal second. Then, with the bases loaded, Martin came up clutch with a strikeout and a groundout to second to keep the Braves off of the scoreboard.
Offensively, it was a struggle for the Squires in the early innings. Manchester only had one baserunner in the first five innings, Martin reaching on a walk, and it was quickly erased as he was picked off a few pitches later. The Squires had little difficulty putting the ball in play, mostly in the air, but had a hard time finding spots for it to land, leading to three consecutive 1-2-3 innings.
Back on the mound, Martin began to get into a groove after the early turbulence. After retiring the final two hitters of the first, the junior would only allow two baserunners over the next three innings, striking out three and picking off one of the baserunners he allowed on. Despite the early game looking like it could turn into a slugfest, the two sides remained scoreless after four innings.
Maconaquah would finally be the first team on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning. With one out and nobody on after Martin’s fifth punch out of the game, Braves shortstop Kalvin Kile would rope a ball into left for a base hit. The Squire leftfielder would misplay it, allowing Kile to take an extra base and end up at second. The next hitter, Maconaquah leadoff man Bennett Isenburg, would drive a ball into right field that would drop for another hit and score Kile from second. Martin would bounce back and allow no more damage, retiring the next two hitters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Squire offense finally showed some signs of life. After having his team’s last 13 hitters retired, freshman Davin Hendrix drew a four-pitch walk to become the first Manchester player to reach base since the first inning. Pinch runner Logan Eastgate would steal second on the first pitch of the next at-bat to put the first Squire runner in scoring position on the day. Tallon Torpy would also draw a walk to put the go-ahead run on base and most importantly, take Shelton, who still had not allowed a hit, out of the game.
The rally would not yield any results however, as Braves reliever MJ Ellis would strike out the next two Manchester hitters to stop the rally in its tracks. Trailing by a run going into the final inning, Martin got out of trouble once again to keep his team in it. With runners on second and third and one out, the junior got the next two hitters to fly and ground out to the infield to keep his team’s deficit at one. Martin finished his day with seven innings pitched, no earned runs allowed on six hits and six strikeouts.
The Squires were finally able to muster their first hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh as junior Evan Martynowicz gapped one into right field. He would be stranded on third base as Payton Jones struck out to end the game.
Manchester will play its next game Friday evening at home against Fort Wayne Wayne. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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Manchester starter Gavin Martin didn’t have to wait long to throw meaningful pitches, as the visitors from Maconaquah wasted no time putting pressure on the junior hurler. The Braves were able to put their first four hitters on base, but were unable to score. The first out came from the rocket arm of catcher Garrett Sites, who threw out a Maconaquah baserunner attempting to steal second. Then, with the bases loaded, Martin came up clutch with a strikeout and a groundout to second to keep the Braves off of the scoreboard.
Offensively, it was a struggle for the Squires in the early innings. Manchester only had one baserunner in the first five innings, Martin reaching on a walk, and it was quickly erased as he was picked off a few pitches later. The Squires had little difficulty putting the ball in play, mostly in the air, but had a hard time finding spots for it to land, leading to three consecutive 1-2-3 innings.
Back on the mound, Martin began to get into a groove after the early turbulence. After retiring the final two hitters of the first, the junior would only allow two baserunners over the next three innings, striking out three and picking off one of the baserunners he allowed on. Despite the early game looking like it could turn into a slugfest, the two sides remained scoreless after four innings.
Maconaquah would finally be the first team on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning. With one out and nobody on after Martin’s fifth punch out of the game, Braves shortstop Kalvin Kile would rope a ball into left for a base hit. The Squire leftfielder would misplay it, allowing Kile to take an extra base and end up at second. The next hitter, Maconaquah leadoff man Bennett Isenburg, would drive a ball into right field that would drop for another hit and score Kile from second. Martin would bounce back and allow no more damage, retiring the next two hitters to end the inning.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Squire offense finally showed some signs of life. After having his team’s last 13 hitters retired, freshman Davin Hendrix drew a four-pitch walk to become the first Manchester player to reach base since the first inning. Pinch runner Logan Eastgate would steal second on the first pitch of the next at-bat to put the first Squire runner in scoring position on the day. Tallon Torpy would also draw a walk to put the go-ahead run on base and most importantly, take Shelton, who still had not allowed a hit, out of the game.
The rally would not yield any results however, as Braves reliever MJ Ellis would strike out the next two Manchester hitters to stop the rally in its tracks. Trailing by a run going into the final inning, Martin got out of trouble once again to keep his team in it. With runners on second and third and one out, the junior got the next two hitters to fly and ground out to the infield to keep his team’s deficit at one. Martin finished his day with seven innings pitched, no earned runs allowed on six hits and six strikeouts.
The Squires were finally able to muster their first hit of the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh as junior Evan Martynowicz gapped one into right field. He would be stranded on third base as Payton Jones struck out to end the game.
Manchester will play its next game Friday evening at home against Fort Wayne Wayne. First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
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