TOPSHAM – Wednesday’s KVAC clash between Oxford Hills and Mt. Ararat was a study in the contrast between a once-beaten young team and a once-beaten veteran team.
Senior Corey Saunders, from the veteran Vikings, outdueled junior Brandon Wyman on the mound to lead Oxford Hills to a 3-1 victory at Kingdon Field.
Saunders tossed an efficient five-hitter, striking out five and walking none, and got a clutch go-ahead single from Derek Varney in the fifth inning.
Wyman, meanwhile, struck out a dozen and gave up four hits, but also walked seven and hit a batter. His wildness and a couple of critical fielding mistakes proved to be the difference.
“We struck out way too much. I thought he pitched really well,” Oxford Hills coach Shane Slicer said of Wyman. “We put some things together and we left a lot of guys on base with the meat of our order. But Varney had the go-ahead hit the other night (in a win over Mt. Blue) and the go-ahead hit today, too.”
The Eagles (7-2) took a quick 1-0 lead when Jamie Reilly and Jordan Bichrest smacked back-to-back doubles to almost the same spot in right-center field in the first inning. But that would be the last time they would get a runner past first base until the seventh.
“After the first, (catcher) Russell Estes came in and said they weren’t going to his breaking ball enough,” Slicer said. “He threw all fastballs that first inning and they hit it well. When he mixes in a couple of off-speed pitches, his fastball sneaks in on you and has quite a bit of movement. I liked his control. That was the big thing for him.”
“I started off a little nervous because I knew they were a good team,” Saunders said. “After that, I relaxed. I was trying to work the corners so that way I could get easy outs.”
Wyman didn’t get many easy outs, even though he fanned nine through the first four innings. Four of those Ks came on 3-2 counts. His defense also helped him out in the third, when Jimmy Ouellette threw out Chris Jennings at home plate on a sacrifice fly attempt by Kelvin Decato.
Mt. Ararat’s fielding would hurt Wyman in the fifth, however. A bobble on a routine grounder to second allowed Estes to reach safely with one out. Jennings followed with the first hit of the day for the Vikings (9-1). Wyman then walked Kyle Keniston on four pitches to load the bases and issued Decato a free pass on four pitches to force Estes home and tie the game. After a strikeout, Varney ripped a single under the diving shortstop’s glove to plate Jennings with the go-ahead run.
Another fielding gaffe led to an insurance run in the sixth. Saunders led off with an infield hit. Ryan Yates followed with a sacrifice bunt that didn’t just move him up to second, as a heads-up Saunders noticed no one was covering third and never broke stride as he took the extra base. He then scored on Estes’ RBI single.
“We’ve been fighting that all season,” Mt. Ararat coach Craig Rogers said. “We’re a young team and we make mistakes. I can see making mistakes, but when it’s the same mistakes, I don’t understand that.”
A baserunning mistake in the seventh cost the Eagles a chance to rally. Bichrest led off with an infield single, then went to second on a wild pitch. After a strikeout, Marshall Chick roped a liner to center field that Matt McDonnell made a leaping snag on. Bichrest wandered too far off the bag and was doubled-up for the final out.
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