Wildcats Earn Split In Baseball Opener

Written on April 6, 2015 by Staff Reporter

Categories: Sports Archive 2015

MARION – The Whitko baseball team opened its season by earning a split in doubleheader action at Marion on Saturday.

The host Giants won the opener 6-5 before the Wildcats took the final by an 8-3 final.

Marion built a 4-2 lead in the first game before Whitko rallied in their final at-bat in the seventh. Tanner Gaff connected for a three-run homer to give the Wildcats a short-lived 5-4 lead.

The Giants, who are 2-1 on the young season, got a two-run single in the home half of the final frame from Javon Yeakle to post the 6-5 win. Yeakle also had a homer and drove in four runs for the winners.

Gaff took the pitching loss despite striking out nine and walking just one.

Hunter Sroufe went 2-2 and scored three runs for the Wildcats.

Whitko scored four runs in the second inning and added three more in the fifth in the nightcap.

Zach Snep notched the pitching win in game two. Gaff was 2-3 with a double and an RBI for the Wildcats. Riley Anderson went 2-4 with an RBI and Alex Bechtold was 2-5 with a double.

“In game one, we struggled at the plate,” said Whitko coach Erik Hisner. “I’m not sure if it was first games nerves, or just rust from not being able to get outside much, but our kids battled and we had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the last inning after Tanner’s huge home run in the top half of the inning.

“I thought Garrett Cokl and Hunter Sroufe gave us great at-bats, but unfortunately we couldn’t string enough of them together early in the game when we had some scoring chances.”

“In game two, Zach Snep threw the ball very well. He improved a lot this winter and I’m glad his hard work is already paying off.”

“We swung the bats much better in the second game. Riley Anderson hit the ball hard every time up, and I thought we did a much better job on the bases of forcing the issue which allowed us to take advantage of some mistakes in that big second inning.”

Whitko (1-1) hosts New Haven today at 5 p.m.