Published: September 03, 2008 02:19 pm            

Grayson Titans can’t be stopped in Fall Baseball league

The Grayson Titans locked horns with the River Rats of Ironton in an epic baseball showdown Saturday. The game was dominated by pitching by both sides as both teams kept the hitters off balance.

Titan’s veteran Spencer Phillips took the bump for the Titans and set the tone on the first batter by retiring him on strikes for the first out. A walk by the next batter allowed the River Rats to score the first runner on a throwing error by the shortstop to make the game 1-0. The Titans came out in the bottom half of the first as Chandler Duncan reached after being hit by a pitch, but the offense sputtered and the game remained 1-0.

The River Rats lead off the second with a single and was able to score another run after 2 stolen bases and a passed ball at the plate to move the score to 2-0. Phillips dug in and showed what made the Titans so difficult to beat, their dominant pitching. Phillips fired nine pitches to the next three batters, retiring them all on strikes. Titan third baseman Kyle Stone ripped a one out single in the bottom of two, but the offense stalled again and the game remained 2-0.

Phillips wasted no time with the Ironton batters fanning the order on only 13 pitches to end the top of the third. Titan first baseman Ryan McDavid was able to draw a one out walk to get the Titans going and Duncan took the hint. Duncan drove a ball deep into right field and legged out a two RBI inside the park home run to even the score at two.

“Chandler is a great player and such a spark for this team,” Titans Manager James Collier stated. “He hustled right out of the box and I never thought about stopping him. It was the jump start we needed to climb back into the game.”

The River Rats pushed over one run in the fourth but Phillips was able to keep the hitters in awe. The game remained a tight ball game heading into the bottom of five with the Titans trailing 3-2. Stone and Phillips both reached on singles with Stone scoring on a sac fly by center fielder John Fankell to even the score at three. Phillips stole home on the next pitch to give the Titans a 4-3 lead heading to the sixth.

Stone pitched a perfect fifth but found himself working out of a one out bases loaded jam in the sixth. Stone forced the batter to hit a grounder to Phillips at third that recorded the second out, but threw wide of the bag at first on the double play attempt and the tying run scored. Right fielder Nicholas Collier had already moved into position to back up the throw and recovered the errant throw from Phillips.

The throw was a bullet to the awaiting Titan catcher Trace Jackson who applied the tag to end the rally and the inning. The Titans would threaten for the win in the bottom of six, but a base running mistake would take them out of the inning and finish with a 4-4 tie.

“I was so proud of how the kids battled the entire game,” Collier said. “We never gave up and just kept grinding every inning I will take the blame on the mistake in the sixth. We took a chance and it didn’t pay off. Spencer threw a great game and I was trying everything I could do to get him the win. Overall I'm very pleased with how the game turned out.”

Phillips finished the game going four innings while giving up three runs, two that were earned, on only one hit and striking out nine. Stone added two solid innings, giving up one earned run on three hits and striking out two.

Heading into game two, the Titans sent ace Chandler Duncan to the mound and the River Rats got to him early. A leadoff single started the assault and ended with an eight batter three run inning.

Duncan lead off the inning with a single but was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice by Austin Wells. Nicholas Collier dropped a sacrifice bunt down to move Wells to third and Alex Wells drove a RBI single to cut the lead to 3-1 heading to two.

Duncan took the mound, ending the inning facing four batters and giving up no hits.

The Titans offense was also determined to close the gap in the game and Phillips showed just how determined on one swing of the bat by ripping a solo home run deep over the left field wall to cut the lead to 3-2.

“I was looking for the pitch he gave me and was able to hit it hard,” Phillips stated. “I lost it in the sun and didn’t know it was gone until I rounded first and seen it falling over the fence.

Fankell and McDavid would both reach on walks and Duncan smacked a two out two RBI single to give the Titans the lead 4-3.

Ironton would push over another run in the third to tie the game at four, but would not be able to control the offensive power the Titans were able to display.

Collier would lead off the inning with a ball blasted back up the middle for a single and would score on a RBI single by Austin Floyd. Stone would drive in Floyd with a RBI single and would score from another RBI single from Fankell to take a 7-4 lead to the fourth.

Duncan would get into a jam to start the fourth with two runners getting on base and moving over to second and third with no outs. However, the runners would not be able to go anywhere as the next three were retire in order to end the rally. The Titans were not done with the offensive display they had started in the previous inning and was quick to get to work in the fourth.

McDavid singled and was moved over to third by a double by Jackson. Duncan was walked loading the bases for Austin Wells. Wells drove the first pitch he saw to the gap in left and cleared the bases with a three RBI triple. Floyd would add a two out RBI double and would score on a RBI double from Stone. Phillips would drive in Stone with a single and scored on a RBI triple from Fankell.

Eddie Lau connected for his first hit of the game, driving in the eighth run of the inning and moving the score to 15-4.

“I was glad to see our bats finally get going,” Collier said. “We faced some very good pitching and that says a lot to be able to hang 15 runs on the board. It was a great victory to have at home.”

Floyd would toe the rubber in the fifth and retired the Ironton batters in order to end the game and give the Titans their fourth win of the season. They are now 4-1-1 on the year.

Duncan would record his second win of the season going four innings while giving up four runs, three earned, on three hits and striking out five. Floyd would work one inning striking out two and giving up no runs.

“It’s a good feeling to come out and beat a really good ball club and it come as a complete team effort,” Collier stated. “We played from behind in both games today and never panicked or gave up. We have an amazing group of players on this club and their all have a bright future in baseball ahead of them.”

The Titans will host Spring Valley on Wednesday at 6:30 then travel to Boyd County to face the Mutts and Spring Valley in a doubleheader on Saturday.

        

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