McClain falls to Washington
McClain senior Andrew Potts is shown during Monday's game vs. Washington. (HCP Photos/Jim Jones)
It was a pitcher’s duel for the first four innings of play Monday night when the McClain Tigers opened Frontier Athletic Conference play by hosting Washington on Daryle Unger Field in Greenfield.
The Blue Lions came into the ballgame with a 4-0 record and had their ace on the mound in junior left-hander Will Miller.
Miller and McClain starting pitcher Andrew Potts were locked in a scoreless ballgame over the first four innings, until the Blue Lions got a two-out single to right field with the bases loaded by Miller driving in the first two runs of the night in the top of the fifth inning. Washington added two more runs on a double by their next batter, and suddenly it was a 4-0 Blue Lion advantage.
The Blue Lions plated three more runs in the top of the sixth inning, and the Tigers’ lone run came in the bottom half of the sixth when Potts scored on an RBI single by Cohen Six. Miller got the win on the mound for Washington, while Potts was the hard-luck loser on the hill for McClain.
Potts gave up just three runs on three hits over the first four and two-third innings. Six came in to relief Potts in the fifth inning and surrendered four runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
“This was a great game for the first four innings, but Andrew (Potts) started struggling with his control in the top of the firth but still was able to keep us in the ballgame,” McClain head coach Kenny Branscom said. “We had bases loaded and couldn’t get a run in, we hit some balls hard but they made some great plays, and that’s just baseball. Sometimes it goes your way, and sometimes it doesn’t.
“Will (Miller) had a great command of his pitches today, and he always seems to keep hitters off balance at the plate and that’s the name of the game. We had just three hits off him today, and when we did hit the ball hard it was right at somebody. We just couldn’t catch a break today.”
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