Kars wins in Quyon on Thursday (now with details)

Moe Laframboise and Chad Milne reporting

Kars visited Quyon on Thursday night and escaped with a 10-9 victory, avenging a loss to the Flyers in their first meeting of the year. Brad Porter threw 6 1/3 for the win, and Cory Alkerton had a save.  Matt Greer took the loss for Quyon.

 

Pitchers for both sides struggled to find solid footing on a very soft and sandy mound, in a game that looked like it was going to be a blowout for Kars, but ended in nervous fashion with the tying run on 3rd base.

 

In the top of the 1st, Kars sent 11 batters to the plate scoring 6 times, highlighted by a big 3-run homer to right field by Cory Alkerton.

 

Quyon got one back in the bottom half of the 1st.  Dennis McCleary led off with a hard hit double down the left field line.  Matt Greer walked with one out, and Joe McCleary reached on an error to the 2nd baseman to load the bases.  Steve McCord drew a walk to open the scoring for the home half.

 

Greer settled down on the mound in the 2nd and got out of the inning with no further damage.  Quyon plated 4 runs in the home half to bring the game within one.  Dave Hobbs led off the bottom of the inning with a single and stole 2nd.  After back to back strikeouts, McCleary walked and the two runners scored on a Shawn Laframboise “triple” to right field.  A slicing fly ball into the sun was enough to completely fool the right fielder.  Greer followed that up with a two-out two run homer.

 

Kars came back with 3 more runs in the top of 3rd. Matt Pollard started the inning with a single and was followed by a Jeff Hopkins single. After the next two batters struck out, Nick Ellis laced a single up the middle that looked like it was going to score Pollard, but at the last second he got the stop sign from the 3rd base coach. This created havoc on the base paths as both Hopkins and Ellis got hung up. Luckily for Kars Ellis was able to scramble back to 1st base just ahead of the throw from the Quyon centrefielder. Cory Alkerton followed with a bases loaded walk to score Pollard, and then Chad Milne hit a full count pitch back up the middle to score Hopkins and Ellis. Score 9-5 Kars.

 

Porter settled in and only gave up a single and a walk over the next 3 innings.

 

Kars got a big insurance run in the 6th. Andy Davey hit a one-out double and was brought home by a Hopkins single to make the score 10-5.

 

Hobbs led off the 6th with a single for the Flyers and Kearns followed suit, reaching on a misplayed bunt.  After a strikeout, McCleary scored Hobbs with an RBI single and Kearns advanced to 3rd.  With a full count, McCleary took off for 2nd and Laframboise struck out.  The throw to 2nd was not in time, however a quick relay to home was in plenty of time to get Kearns attempting to sneak home.

 

Kars looked to add another important run in the 7th. With one out, Ellis walked and moved to second on an Alkerton single. Milne then ripped a single up the middle, with Ellis on the move trying to score. But Dennis McCleary came up with a strong throw to brother Joe, gunning down Ellis at the plate.

 

The Flyers mounted a comeback in the bottom of 7 but ultimately fell one run short.  After a pop out, Joe McCleary started things off with a double and advanced to 3rd on a McCord single.  After a walk to Curtis Daley to load the bases, both McCleary and McCord would score on Hobbs’ third single of the game to make it 10-8.  Daley advanced to 3rd on the play.  With the tying run on base, Kars made a pitching change and Alkerton came in to close out the game.  After Hobbs swiped 2nd, a passed ball allowed Daley to score and put the tying run at 3rd with only one out.  Alkerton was able to battle back and get a strikeout and a groundout for the save.

 

Alkerton earns Caveman Choice honours with a home run, 4 RBIs, and earning the save.

 

Kars stats:

C. Alkerton 2-4, HR, BB, 4 rbi, run

C. Milne 2-3, 2 BB, 2 rbi, run

A. Davey 2-4, 2B, rbi, run

J. Hopkins 2-4, rbi, run

 

Quyon stats:

D. McCleary 2-3, 2B, BB, RBI, 2R

M. Greer 1-2, HR, 2RBI, 2BB

D. Hobbs 3-4, RBI, 2R

S. McCord 1-3, RBI, R, BB