Sugar Beets battle back for 10-9 victory over Irish Hills Leprechauns in bot 11th

 

The Saginaw Sugar Beets (4-6-0) won in extra innings when Brady Wood (Adrian College) scored from third base on an infield error for a 10-9 victory over the Irish Hills Leprechauns (1-5-0) in the bottom of the eleventh inning on the campus of Saginaw Valley State University this afternoon. 

 

With the game tied at 9-runs apiece, Wood led off the bottom of the eleventh with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch, as Connor Charping (Western Michigan University) moved him over to third with an infield groundout, before Z-Michael Westley (SVSU) hit a shot to shortstop, which was misplayed, allowing Wood to score from third base for the win. 

 

The Leprechauns jumped out to an early lead when Sugar Beets starter Jordan Williams (Adrian College) walked three straight batters, leading to a 3-0 Irish Hills lead in the top of the first inning, before 3-singles in the second inning led to another Leprechauns run for a 4-0 lead midway through the second inning.

 

The Sugar Beets battled back in the bottom half of the inning when Sean O'Keefe (Adrian College) reached on a 1-out walk and scored on an RBI-double by Ryan Missal (Western Michigan University) before Missal was driven in on an RBI-single by Saginaw DH Matthew Sulkanen (Aquainas College) to cut the Irish Hills lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the second.

 

Saginaw added another run in the third when Wood reached on a fielders choice then scored when he was driven in on an RBI-single by Charping to make it a 4-3 game in the bottom of the fourth inning.

 

Williams would give up another 2-runs in the fourth, before he was chased for Saginaw reliever Kyler Seeman (University of Northwestern Ohio) who also gave up a run in the fourth as Irish Hills extended its lead to 7-3 midway through the fourth inning.

 

Williams gave up 6-runs on 5-hit and 4-walks, with 3-strikeouts through 3-innings, while Seeman gave up 1-run on 1-walk, with 2-strikeouts through 1-inning of relief. 

 

The Sugar Beets cut the Irish Hills lead to 3-runs when Adam Proctor (Michigan State University) scored on an RBI-single by Westley to make it a 7-4 game in the bottom of the sixth inning.

 

Newly acquired Sugar Beets reliever, South Lyon, MI native Ethan Whitcomb (Madonna University) replaced Seeman and had a very good debut for the Beets, however, a couple of Saginaw defensive errors led to 2-more runs, increasing the Leprechauns' lead to 9-4 midway through the seventh. 

 

Whitcomb would go on to allow just 3-hits and 3-walks, with 1-strikeout through 4-solid innings of relief. 

 

The Beets added a pair of runs in the eighth when Cooper Marshall (Western Michigan University) singled to lead off the inning and scored on an RBI-single by his Bronco teammate, Charping, before Charping scored on an infield groundout by Westley to cut the Irish Hills lead to 9-6 in the bottom of the eighth inning.

 

Saginaw would even things up in the ninth when Sean Fannon (Lawrence Tech) scored from third on a fielders choice by Wood, while Charping drove in Ryan Robinette (Lawrence Tech) before Wood eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it a 9-9 game in the bottom of the ninth inning.

 

Charping finished 3 for 5 with 3-RBI's and 1-run scored to lead the Sugar Beets from the dish, while Marshall was 3 for 4, followed by Fannon, who was 2 for 5 with 1-run scored, and Westley who was 1 for 4 with 3-RBI's. 

 

Sugar Beets reliever Marcus Beeson (Siena Heights University) allowed just 2-hits and 1-walk throughout the next 1 1/3 scoreless innings, which was followed by David Klug (Lawrence Tech) who was perfect throughout the next 2/3 of an inning, before Fannon, a position player who started the game in right field, allowed just 1-hit while closing out the eleventh to earn his first win in his first appearance as a pitcher.