A 6-5 win at Riverside Park halted a short two-game skid for the Bobcats and kept the Owensboro Oilers to within a 1.5 game lead with just five more games left in the season for Marion. The next three of those games are with Owensboro, in fact, giving the Bobcats a chance to control their own destiny in their hunt for a first-ever league title.
Matt Vollenweider notched his 10th league save in the 6-5 win, but not before the Pirates managed a furious comeback against the bullpen in the final two innings.
Vollenweider came on in the ninth with the bases full of Pirates and one run already in to make the score 5-2 with the winning run at the plate. He got the next two batters out, but two walks and a single later, Tradewater had closed the gap to just one run. With the bases full once again in the inning, league's top closer was able to get Eric Silakowski to ground out to end the game and the Bobcats' two-game skid.
Garret Hunt (2-3) earned the win in six innings of four-hit, shutout work. But Marion's bullpen that was automatic in June, once again withered in the July heat. Jeremy Jansen came on in relief of Hunt and threw a perfect seventh inning, but Stephen Glaze, who entered the game to start the eighth, gave up all five of Tradewater's runs. The Middle Georgia College product gave up one run in his first inning of work, and despite not recording an out in the ninth, all four runs belonged to him.
Marion's offense, which had managed only 13 hits in the last four games, put 10 hits on the board, including doubles from Caleb Eickhoff and Cody Schmitt. Eickhoff's only hit of the night drove in the first run for the Bobcats. Two innings later, lead-off hitter Schmitt's double cleared the bases, bringing in three runs for a 6-0 lead.
The lead could have been larger heading into the bottom half of the frame, but Marion's first two runners to reach were thrown out at the plate before Schmitt's eventual hit, the only one of inning, gave him his 11th, 12th and 13th RBI on the season.
Also at the plate for Marion, new infielder Mike Lockett went 2-for-5 with a run scored. The team's leading hitter with a .270 average, Kyle Vander Ark also added two hits and drove in his 10th run. A.J. Dokey had a hit and scored two of Marion's six runs.
The Oilers come calling for a double header at Guess Field beginning at 5:05 p.m. Thursday. Thanks to The Crittenden Press, all fans enter the twin bill for free. Gifts will also be given away throughout the game.
The last of the three-game set will take place Friday at Chautauqua Park in Owensboro.
After Owensboro, Marion has one more game with each second-place Fulton and last-place Tradewater.
Though only five games remain on the schedule, if necessary, a fourth game with Owensboro might be required on July 25 to settle an unfinished game on July 10 settled as a tie between the two clubs. The game would only be played out to its completion only if the outcome could drastically affect the league standings. The game would pick up with the Bobcats at bat in the bottom of the 11th inning.
Click here for box score.
Owensboro 11, Fulton 0
The wins are gushing near the end of season for Steve Fowler and his Oilers. An 11-0 drubbing of Fulton Wednesday extended Owensboro's lead to 1.5 games over the Railroaders and Bobcats.
