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| Anders |
Josh Anders walked in the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 10th to put Owensboro one win away from taking the regular season title. Anders (2-4), who has seven starts on the year, pitched the last 1 2/3 innings after relievers Matt Vollenweider and Stephen Glaze failed to get an out after spelling starter Kyle Tokunaga in the eighth.
Anders was able to get the Bobcats out of the bases-loaded jam created in the eighth by the three previous pitchers and in the ninth got out of his own bases-full predicament without a run. Marion ended and exited the top of the 10th without having scored since a run in the second took their lead to 4-1, setting up the Oilers to end the contest in walk-off fashion.
In the bottom of the 10th, Anders led off with a walk issued to designated hitter Ty Broady. With Broady in scoring position after a sacrifice bunt, Gabriel Pena then singled but failed to get Broady home. An intentional walk to lead-off hitter Luis Mila then left Anders with no wiggle room for the final two outs. The next batter, Ty Stetson, drove in the winning run with a careful eye at the plate, drawing four pitchers out of the strike zone to force in the game winner.
Tokunaga had allowed only one run on four hits until the eighth, when he allowed the cycle—a single, double and triple—in that inning before being pulled. All three runs that scored in the inning, including one on a wild pitch, were charged to Tokunaga.
Owensboro pitchers buckled down after Marion's fourth run in the second, allowing only four hits across the final eight innings. The Bobcats had scored three runs to start the game with an RBI-single from A.J. Dokey and a run-scoring double from Taylor Banks, who also scored a run on a rare steal of home. In the second, Desmond Roberts' single drove in Mike Lockett after the second baseman reached on an error and landed 90 feet from home on a wild pitch and passed ball.
That's all the scoring Marion would do Friday. Roberts was 2-for-3 and Dokey 2-for-5. Caleb Eickhoff, Lockett also added singles to accompany Banks' RBI-double.
Marion travels to Fulton Saturday. The game will be the last of the season for the Railroaders, who, at a half-game behind the Oilers, have a chance to take the league title with a win at Lohaus Field and help from Tradewater, who takes on Owensboro Saturday. That scenario would force resumption of a Marion-Owensboro tie on July 10 in order for the Oilers to play their 42nd game Monday, hoping to force a tie atop the standings with Fulton. Monday's game would also be necessary if both Fulton and Owensboro win Saturday, with Fulton pulling for a Marion win in that game so that both Fulton and Owensboro would end the season at 23-19.
Marion still stands an outside shot at the title, but would require three straight wins. The Bobcats would need to win Saturday and Sunday combined with an Owensboro loss Saturday in order to force Monday's resumption of the tie game. The Bobcats would have to win that game, as well, in order to end tied with Owensboro with a 22-20 record.
Fulton 2, Tradewater 1
Fulton kept their hopes alive for a league title with a 2-1 win over the Pirates.
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