Bears record back-to-back sixth inning wins

BREWSTER – The Brewster Bears High School varsity baseball team continued their winning streak with back-to-back sixth inning wins over Meridian, 10-0, on April 7, and Lake Roosevelt, 11-1, on April 12.

The game against Meridian was much closer game than the score lets on, head coach Todd Phillips said.

“We were being no-hit through the fifth before we busted it open in the sixth,” said Phillips. “(We) had some early scoring opportunities, but we either failed to capitalize or they made a great defensive play.”

Reese Vassar’s 17 game hit streak came to an end when Meridian’s centerfielder made a phenomenal catch and play on the ball.

Pitcher AJ Woodward surrendered a leadoff single, then retired the next 17 batters before allowing his only walk of the game. 

“Sixty pitches through six innings only allowing one guy on their team to reach base and striking out nine,” said Phillips. “AJ is doing a phenomenal job of keeping people off bases.”

Phillips said this Bears team has the potential to have the best fielding percentage of any team during his tenure at Brewster.

While the coach noted there was not much to talk about offensively for either team until the sixth inning, he summed up that inning this way:

Nico Maldonado broke up the no-no to lead off the sixth, Eric Ramirez walked, and Clayton Isensee bunted for a base hit to load the bases. Grant Baker singled to plate the first run of the game. Eric Ramirez scored on a wild pitch. Blake Burgett drew a walk and Brady Wulf was hit by a pitch to bring in another run. AJ then put the game out of reach by crushing a triple to clear the bases and scored on Vassar’s sacrifice fly. Maldonado was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on Ramirez’s base hit. Isensee reached on an error and would score the tenth run of the inning when Grant Baker singled for the second time of the inning after a 12-pitch at bat. 

Stats

                        1          2          3          4          5          6          R          H          E 

Meridian          0          0          0          0          0          0          0          1          3 

Brewster          0          0          0          0          0          10        10        6          0 

W-AJ Woodward (4-0) 

L-Alex Short 

S-None 

2B-None 

3B-Brewster: Woodward; Meridian: None 

HR-None

Raiders routed in six

The Bears waited until the sixth inning to break the game open again.

“We were just trying to do too much at the plate,” Phillips said.

The coach said Wulf did a great job for his first start on the pitcher’s mound giving up zero hits in five innings.

Phillips described the action against a much-improved Raiders team from their first meeting two weeks ago:

First inning: We scored two in the first when Tyson Schertenleib walked, advanced on a balk and stolen base and scored on the Vassar single. Vassar advanced on a balk and stolen base and scored on a Maldonado sac fly.

Third inning: Burgett led off with a hit-by-pitch, stole second and scored on Vassar’s triple.

Fifth inning: Kash Vandelac walked to start things off, stole second and advanced on an error and scored on Burgett’s single. Lake Roosevelt scored their lone run when Tyson Nicholson singled with one out and moved all around the bases on three passed balls.

Sixth inning: Pushed it to the ten-run rule when Maldonado and Woodward doubled back-to-back. Woodward then stole third and home. Isensee walked and stole second, advanced to third on an error and scored on a wild pitch. Vandelac reached on an error and scored on a passed ball, error, then second passed ball. Burgett walked and scored on three wild pitches. Wulf walked, stole second, went to third on a fly ball out. Vassar walked, stole second and both scored on Maldonado’s second hit of the inning. 

1          2          3          4          5          6          R         H         E 

Lake Roosevelt           0          0          0          0          0          1          1          1          3 

Brewster         2          0          1          0          1          7          11        6          2 

W-Brady Wulf (2-0) 

L-Ivan Alejandre  

S-Eric Ramirez 

2B-Brewster: Nico Maldonado (3), AJ Woodward (2); Lake Roosevelt: None 

3B-Brewster: Reese Vassar; Lake Roosevelt: None 

HR-None