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Boys Varsity Baseball

Game Summaries & Headlines.

Boys Varsity Baseball vs. OLD MILL SENIOR HS

Game Date: Apr 25, 2012
Score: SEAHAWKS: 7
OLD MILL SENIOR HIGH: 10

Posted: Thursday, April 26, 2012 9:45 am | Updated: 12:00 pm, Thu Apr 26, 2012.

Old Mill holds on to beat South River in baseball By T.C. CAMERON Staff Writer CapitalGazette.com | 0 comments

A day after Josh Hader let no one hit, Zack Baker hit nearly every pitch he saw to help Old MIll outslug South River.

Baker knocked in five runs on three singles and a walk in five plate appearances, and Stephen Owens slammed the door on the Seahawks by pitching 12/3 innings in relief to lock up the Patriots’ 10-7 baseball victory on Wednesday.

Old Mill (14-1) holds a commanding 10-1 record in the county to lead Arundel, Severna Park and Northeast.

But Baker’s efforts might have been moot if a pair of crucial plays — one for each team — had turned out differently for either squad.

After falling behind, 4-1, South River (10-5) thundered back in the bottom of the fifth. Jake Gratz knocked in Gabe Verducci on a ground out, Connor Cox singled in Joe Scott and Bryan Shores drove in Scott and Nick Sia with a double to right to put the Seahawks up, 5-4, and chase Old Mill starter Guy Wharton.

With Owens pitching and Shores on third and one out, South River coach Ken Dunn called for a suicide squeeze. However, Austin Wright never squared on the pitch, and Shores was easily tagged out. Wright grounded out to shortstop on the next pitch to end the inning.

“We’re up by one, we’re squeezing to maybe go up two, but it took some air out of us,” Dunn said. “That’s the best hitting team we’ve faced all season, so Old Mill’s in the lead for a reason. But the game might have been different if we get that ball down.”

In the next half inning, after putting out the fire from the mound, Owens singled to left and Abel Arocho walked to bring up Jordan Taylor. After missing badly on two consecutive pitches while trying to bunt, Taylor fouled off an 0-2 pitch before lacing a single into right to score Owens and tie the score at 5.

Taylor’s single chased Scott Mitchell, who took the loss. Shores replaced Mitchell, put fared no better. Baker came up three hitters later and single to right with two outs to score Orocho and Taylor to put Old Mill up, 7-5.

“It’s a lot of pressure,” Taylor said. “You’ve got to execute the play, but I just couldn’t do it. Mitchell tried to throw me a curveball, and I just sat back and waited on it and drove it into right field.”

After putting the Seahawks down in the bottom of the sixth, Owens hit a monstrous home run to straightaway center to open the seventh, and Baker notched another two-run single to cap a third three-run inning for the Patriots.

It turned out to be needed insurance, as Owens tired in the seventh and was chased by Craig Sheridan’s two-run double.

“Zack Baker was phenomenal, and Jordan Taylor bought himself some extra playing time for the remainder of the game with that single,” Old Mill coach Jeff Martin said. “Today was one of those days where we needed some different guys to step up, and we got it.”

Hader stroked a long home run into the trees in right in the fifth and doubled twice, and Brian Ratzburg had a two-run double.

Cox, Sheridan and Shores had two RBIs for South River, while Sheridan doubled twice and singled. Scott walked after a double and single.

Old Mill (14-1) 000 313 3 — 10 11 1

South River (10-5) 100 040 2 — 7 11 3

WP: Owens (1-0). LP: Mitchell. 2B: OM — Hader 2, Ratzburg; SR — Sheridan, Sia, Shores, Scott. HR: OM — Hader, Owens; AR — Morse. RBI: OM — Baker 5, Ratzburg 2, Hader, Taylor, Owens; SR — Cox 2, Sheridan 2, Shores 2, Gratz.

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