WALK-OFF WALK CARRIES BATS TO 7-6 WIN OVER ANGELS

 

 

SPRING GROVE — Mike Hareng was looking for a pitch he could drive towards the outfield when he stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with one out and the bases loaded.  With the score tied, 6-6, the left-handed hitter knew even a semi-long fly ball would be able to send the winning run home.  Instead Hareng watched 4 straight pitches sail wide of the strike zone to drive home the winning run without even swinging his bat.

 

The victory at Thelen Park in Spring Grove was only the second of the season for the Bats who improved their record to 2-8.  The Angels saw their record fall to 6-4-1. 

 

Kevin Molbeck started on the hill for the Bats with a mapped out plan of pitching only 3 innings.  His craftiness, however, made it impossible for manager Rich Skibski to take him off the mound as he ended up going the distance.  Molbeck's line for the day in 7 innings was 6 runs (1 earned) allowed on 8 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts.

 

On the offensive side of the coin Earl Blankenship and Molbeck continued their hot hitting with 2 hits apiece from the one and two slots, but it was the bottom half of the order that did the most damage in this game.  The last five hitters were a combined 6-for-14 with 4 runs scored.  Skibski and Wayne Sommer each had 2 hits in that group with Tony DiBlasi and John Reincke picking up the other 2 base knocks.

 

The Bats also took advantage of some rare Angels miscues.  After going down in order in the first 2 innings the Bats exploded for 4 runs in the third inning to take a 4-1 lead.  Skibski led off the frame with a well-placed bunt single before stealing second and third base.  He then scored on a wild pitch to knot the score at 1-1.  Denny Prosperi drew a one-out walk followed by Wayne Sommer's single.  Blankenship then stroked a 2-out double driving home Prosperi to give the Bats a 2-1 lead with runners on second and third.  Molbeck followed with another 2-out hit to left field plating both Sommers and Blankenship with the third and fourth runs of the inning as the relay throw home bounced over the catcher's head.

 

After the Angels picked up an unearned run in the fifth to make it 4-2, the Bats scored a couple of unearned runs of the own in the sixth to pull ahead, 6-2.  With one out and a runner on third Mike Steffy hit a slow roller to the pitcher who threw home unsuccessfully for the Bats fifth run of the game.  Later in the inning with 2 outs Skibski picked up his second hit of the game to load the bases for DiBlasi.  DiBlasi came through with a solid single to left to score Steffy.

 

The Bats had played fairly tight defense for the first six innings committing only 2 errors along the way with a couple of nice plays on line drives up the middle by shortstop Blankenship.  A tiring Molbeck went back out to pitch the seventh having thrown 89 pitches and nursing a 6-2 lead.  The once tight defense, however, then came unraveled committing 4 errors to go along with Molbeck's only 2 walks of the game.  With only 1 hit in the frame the Angels had tied the score, 6-6, and had the go-ahead run on third with 2 outs.  Molbeck then induced a ground out to second on his 122nd pitch to end the threat.

 

In the Bats half of the seventh Sommer lead off with a bad hop single to shortstop.  Reincke then laced a sharp sinking liner to center field only to have Sommer erased at second with a force out.  Following Blankenship's secong double of the game the Angels walked Molbeck intentionally to load the bases and set up a force out at any base.  That force out never arrived, however, as Hareng patiently watched as ball four forced home the game winner.

 

The Bats next game will be on Sunday, July 29 at 10:00 a.m. against the Cubs at Spring Grove Park in Spring Grove, Ill. 

 

 

BATS DROPPINGS

Earl Blankenship's double in the seventh inning was his 9th of the season, breaking the Bats single-season record for two-baggers.  The previous record of 8 was established by Randy Harris in 2011 ....... Sunday's victory left the Bats with a 2-21 record against the Angels in their last 23 meetings. The Angels have had the Bats number since 2010 after losing 2 of their first 3 meetings with the Bats that season.  The Angels went on to win the next 14 games before losing, 6-3, on July 11, 2015.  The Bats most recent victory snapped a 7-game losing streak to the Angels  ......    Once again the Bats have a chance to do something next Sunday that they haven't done since the 2011 season — win consecutive games ...... Lilah DiBlasi, the team's nurse, #1 fan and occasional batgirl, continues to add to her baseball resumé as she is now the official pitch counter for the Bats.