Wednesday was a night to remember for baseball fans as they witnessed a series of thrilling games between fierce competitors. The Barons faced off against Lon’s Gun Show in two gripping matches, while the Raiders and Bears clashed in another exciting doubleheader.
In the first game of the Barons versus Gun Show series, Lon’s Gun Show jumped out to an early lead in the first inning and never looked back. The second game, however, was a tightly contested battle and turned into a pitcher’s duel between Jimy Peers of the Barons and Mike Sopow of the Gun Show. The Barons struck first with Kevin Bennet leading off the game with a hard hit up the middle, setting the tone for the game. Josh Gray managed to cash in the run, giving the Barons an early lead. However, the Gun Show quickly responded with Connor Cross and Mike Sopow hitting triples in the bottom of the first to bring in two runs and take the lead 2-1.
From that point, the game turned into a defensive showdown, with neither team able to score. Chris Hanchar made a spectacular diving stab at shortstop, quickly popping up to throw out the speedy Jackson. In the top of the fifth, Terry Gray came through in the clutch for the Barons, hitting a line drive to bring in Josh Gray for the tying run. However, in the bottom of the inning, Chris Hanchar capitalized on a bobbled ball to score for Lon’s Gun Show, securing a 3-2 victory. The game wasn’t without controversy, as a debate erupted over whether Cameron Gangloff of the Barons was hit by a pitch or if his hands were part of the bat. The umpires ultimately determined that the hands are only part of the bat if the batter attempts to swing, leaving the decision to the referee’s discretion on whether a swing was attempted or not.
In another doubleheader, the Raiders and Bears faced off in two highly competitive games. In the first game, Therin Hemstalk took the mound for the Raiders, while Steve Partridge started for the Bears. Eli Dill homered for the Bears, but Tyler Graham, who has been hitting well all season, answered with a homerun for the Raiders. Despite the Raiders looking poised for victory, Eli Dill hit a bases-clearing walk-off double in the bottom of the last inning, earning a 6-5 win for the Bears.
The second game was another hard-fought battle, with Tiffany Baldwin pitching for the Bears and Bill Stockwell for the Raiders. With the game tied 1-1, Mike Holm came up clutch for the Raiders, hitting a ball down the line to score two runs and secure a 3-1 victory for the Raiders.
As the Fastpitch season draws to a close, the excitement continues to build. The season concludes on the weekend of Aug. 10 and 11, with the first game starting at 10 a.m. and the last game of the day beginning at 4 p.m. at Brothers Park.
