This was rivalry week for Independence baseball. The Patriots and the Butler Bulldogs met on Tuesday at Butler and on Friday at the John W. Matthews field at Independence.
Tuesday’s Game
Independence 4, Butler 7
Tuesday’s road game saw Butler rally to take a 7-4 win over the Patriots. The Bulldogs were trailing 4-3 in the bottom half of the sixth inning and scored four runs on three hits and four walks to take the conference win.
Dylan Thomas started for the Bulldogs and allowed four runs on four hits with three walks and two strike outs in three full innings. Hunter Garmon took the mound in the fourth inning and earned the win. He allowed no hits or runs. The junior pitcher struck out one and gave up one walk in two innings. Drew Roberts closed the game for the Bulldogs giving up no runs and no hits. He had four strike outs and no walks in two full innings.
Three different pitchers threw in the game for the Patriots. Drew Harris started and pitched four full innings, giving up three runs on two hits. Raja Milton took the mound in the fifth and pitched 1.2 innings, giving up four runs on three hits. Ben Hagan came in and finished the game for the Patriots.
Canon Pierce and Drew Roberts put Butler up 2-0 in the bottom of the first. Canon Pierce drew a walk, stole second and moved to third on a Drew Robert’s single. Justin Bennett drove Pierce home on a single to left field. Roberts scored on a Matt Kenney sacrifice fly to to center to give Butler a 2-0 lead.
In the top of the third Indy took the lead scoring four runs on three hits. The Patriots’ first two batters went down on strikes before Hoven Perez drew a walk. CJ Brown followed and hit a little bloop single to right field moving Perez to third. Bryson Jusko came to the plate and was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With the bases loaded and two outs, Noah Howie stepped up and singled to right field scoring Perze. Brandon Moser was up next and hit a double to center field driving in three Indy runs to make the score 4-2.
In the bottom half of the inning Butler cut the score to one run scoring one run on no hits. With two away, Butler’s Drew Roberts drew a walk. A first base pickoff play was attempted, but the throw was off target and the ball ended up at the right field fence, and Roberts ended up on third base. He scored on a passed ball to make the score 4-3 with the Patriots leading.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Bulldogs broke the game open by scoring four runs on three hits, four walks, one error and one hit by a pitch to take a 7-4 lead.
In the top of the seventh the Patriots went down in order giving Butler the conference win.
Independence 004 000 0 – 4
Butler 201 004 X – 7
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Friday’s Game
Butler 3, Independence 7
In Friday night’s home game against Butler, Indy’s Jonathan “JT” Todaro and Ben Hagan combined to shut down the Butler Bulldogs 7-3.
Jonathan Todaro gave up one earned run and one unearned run in five innings on the mound. He had one strikeout and three walks to earn the win for the Patriots.
Ben Hagan pitched two innings of relief and allowed one run on two hits and had two strikeouts.
In the bottom of the first Indy lead off hitter Raja Milton walked and stole second. Noah Howie came to the plate and smacked a triple to center field scoring Milton. Brandon Moser drew a walk putting runners on first and third. Carson Gesing was next up and sacrificed scoring Howie to make the score 2-0 at the end of one.
The Patriots struck again in the second inning. Tyson Clawson started the inning with a double to center. Raja Milton picked up an RBI with a single to center scoring Clawson. After CJ Brown reached on an error, Noah Howie stepped to the plate and hit a double to score Milton and Brown as Indy increased its lead 5-0.
In the top of the fourth Butler’s Grayson Chesser reached on an error followed by an Ryan Wilson single. Brian Swett doubled off the center field wall scoring Chesser and Wilson making the score 5-2.
Indy added another run in the bottom on the fifth. Ben Hagan singled and stole second. Owen Loker laid down a sacrifice bunt moving Hagan to third. Tyson Clawson came to the plate and picked up the RBI with a single to center to make the score 6-2.
In the top of the sixth the Patriots scored a run on no hits. Raja Milton drew a walk and immediately stole second. Milton was awarded third on a balk and score on a passed ball to increase Indy’s lead 7-2.
The Bulldogs added a run in the top of the seventh. Butler’s lead off batter Travis Ziefert doubled to left field. After the next two batters went down, Matt Kenney singled to left scoring Ziefert to make the final score 7-3.
Butler 000 200 1 – 3
Independence 230 001 1 – 7
