On Friday night the Independence Patriots baseball team finished their three game home stand by winning 12-2 over the Rocky River Ravens.
Indy got on the board in the bottom of the third inning. With two outs Matthew Mangum was hit by a pitch and was awarded first base. Cooper Fandel followed and blasted a two run home over the left field wall giving Indy a 2-0 lead.
Rocky River tied the score in the top of the fourth. The Ravens’ Christian Grier led off with a double to left field. James Carter bunted and a wild throw to first scored Grier, and Carter advanced to second and later stole third. Carter came in to score on a passed ball to tie the score 2-2.
at Independence High School. Indy won the game 12-2.
Indy’s offense came to life in the bottom of the fourth inning scoring eight runs on eight hits. Noah Howie led off for the Patriots hitting a single to left field and later stoled second. With Howie on second, Michael Menzer got the bunt sign and bunted to the right side of the mound. The first and third baseman and the pitcher charged the bunt. The Ravens attempted to make the play at first, but no one was covering the base. By this time Howie, who was running on the bunt, had scored. Menzer saw that no one was covering second and he advanced to second. Menzer scored on a Raja Melton single.
Raja Melton and Chase Rappe both singled and scored on Chris Castellucci’s single. Joey Granger came in to run for Castellucci and scored on Nate Brown’s single. Brown stole both second and third and came home on Matthew Mangum’s sacrifice fly.
Cooper Fandel and Noah Haislip rounded out the scoring for the Patriots giving Indy a 10-2 lead after four innings.
Neither team scored in the fifth, and Rocky River managed no runs in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Angelo Aldarondo led off with a double. Cooper Fandel drove Aldarondo in with a single to make the score 11-2. Noah Haislip followed with a walk off single that scored Fandel giving Indy a ten run lead that ended the game 12-2.
