By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
METAMORA (April 13, 2024) – After getting some last at-bat heroics from catcher Sean Rafferty in the first game of a doubleheader, Evergreen was the victim of more luckless episodes than Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events in the seventh of the nightcap and Edgerton took full advantage to take a 7-3 win and salvage a split of the twin bill at Evergreen.
Until that horrendous seventh, the Vikings Blade Walker had been twirling a Gerrit Cole-like performance.
The senior right-hander had given up just three hits, two of those in the fifth from Kellen Sanchez, and a chopper by Scottie Krontz that the Bulldog outfielder beat out for a hit that led to Caden Leppelmeier’s flyball that gave Edgerton a 1-0 lead.
Meanwhile the Vikings were victim of the “at-em” ball syndrome as it seemed every sharply hit ground ball or rocket to the outfield off Elijah Martin found their way into an Edgerton glove.
The Vikes finally broke through in the fifth when Walker’s solid single was followed by Chris Shrader’s pop fly that was misplayed into a hit.
Rafferty’s sacrifice moved the runners up and Colton Robertson’s sac fly knotted the game. Evergreen took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the sixth as Cory Kanneman lined a single to left and with two out, Hunter Vaculik singled through the hole and Walker followed with another base hit to give Evergreen a 2-1 lead.
Then? Came the numerous disasters that turned the game around. Sanchez walked and then came Walker’s wide pickoff throw to first, a passed ball, another on strike three to Martin that stole an out, allowed the Bulldog pitcher to reach first, and tie the game.
A catcher interference, a muffed bases-loaded grounder to second amplified the Edgerton rally for three more runs along with Leppelmeier’s run scoring hit to expand the Bulldog lead to 7-2 before the Vikings could finally get out of the inning.
Martin went the distance for the win giving up 10 Viking hits, striking out two without walking a batter.
Walker deserved better as he went six allowing just five hits and two base on balls while whiffing four. Six of the seven Edgerton runs off him were unearned.
In the opener, the Vikings Layne Vance and Edgerton’s Kaden Kennerk took different avenues to a 1-1 deadlock in the fourth.
Vance was in control, giving up only two hits but was called for a balk with runners on first and third in the fourth to mark the Bulldogs first run.
The Vikings had tallied in the second on Robertson’s two-out, RBI single that gave the VIkes an early lead.
Kennerk got out of jam after jam to keep Edgerton in the game, escaping a second and third one down situation in the first, and two runners on with one out in the third.
In the fourth, the Vikes scored twice on three straight walks, a fielding error at third and Bryce Bolger’s fly ball to take a 3-1 lead.
Edgerton tied it in the sixth after Noah Weaver’s double and a pair of walks loaded the bases with no outs.
Kanneman came in and got a force play at the plate on a grounder but a Viking error, and a walk plated two runs to knot up the game.
Vance’s ringing RBI double to deep left regained a Viking lead in the bottom of the frame but Sanchez’ liner up the middle with two out in the seventh again brought Edgerton even.
Walker began the Vikes game winning rally in the seventh with a one-out base hit and a throwing error put Vikings at first and third.
Rafferty then came through with what a player should do in a runner on third and one out situation, lining a ball to center that Leppelmeier tracked down but had no chance to throw out Walker scoring the walk-off run.
Kanneman was the winning pitcher while Cory Herman, who relieved Kennerk in the fifth, took the loss.
GAME 1
EDGERTON 000 102 1 – 4 7 2
EVERGREEN 010 201 1 – 5 6 1
Records: Evergreen 5-3, Edgerton 2-5
WINNING PITCHER: C. Kanneman (2.0 innings, 2 hits, 1 run, 0 strikeouts, 0 walks) OTHER: Vance
LOSING PITCHER: Herman (2.2 innings, 3 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned, 1 strikeout, 2 walks) OTHER: Kennerk
LEADING HITTERS: (Edgerton) Herman – double, single, 2 runs; Weaver – double, single; (Evergreen) Vance – double, RBI; Vaculik – double; Robertson – 2 singles, RBI, 2 runs; Walker – 2 singles
GAME 2
EDGERTON 000 010 6 – 7 6 1
EVERGREEN 000 011 1 – 3 10 4
Records: Evergreen 5-4, Edgerton 3-5
WINNING PITCHER: Martin (7 innings, 10 hits, 3 runs, 3 earned, 2 strikeouts, 1 walk)
LOSING PITCHER: Walker (6 innings, 5 hits, 7 runs 1 earned, 4 strikeouts, 2 walks) OTHER: Vaculik
LEADING HITTERS: (Edgerton) Leppelmeier – single, 2 RBIs; Krontz – 2 singles; (Evergreen) Bolger – 3 singles, RBI; Walker – 2 singles, RBI
