Bucks lead RCBL finals 2-0

By Dana Jones Correspondent
Published: August 17, 2008

STUARTS DRAFT – It was late scoring that took Clover Hill to a 9-4 win over Stuarts Draft on Sunday in the second game of the RCBL series.
Only three of the innings saw runners score for both teams and the fourth started it off.
Clover Hill’s Addison Bowman hit a blooper behind second base, with one out and one on Shane Banks stepped up to the plate. The first good pitch went flying over the center field fence and the Bucks were up 2-0.
“Shane’s been huge when he’s been here,” said Clover Hill manager Mike Martin. “We have good solid power down the line-up.”
The Diamondbacks hit single after single and with the bases loaded Randall Stevens tapped a slow roller down the third base line, starting up the domino effect of errors from the Bucks. A bad throw to first saw both Milo Johnson and Wes Harlow score, tying the game. A sacrifice fly from Drew Dobbins put another tally on the board. The errors weren’t done yet, however. Brandon Zollman slapped a hard grounder to second, out ran the throw, and an error from the first baseman saw Stevens score, the last D’back to score in the game.
“We had a defensive let down,” Martin said. “They were making plays early but John [Sinclair] kept his composure on the mound and we kept battling. The guys got it done with their bats later.”
Brooks Cullen started the seventh inning off right for the Bucks with a hard grounder between short and third. Dustin Bowman then answered the call with a homer over the right field fence, tying the game at 4, but Clover Hill wasn’t about to settle for a tie. A few singles and A. Bowman was back at the plate, driving in Chris Cofer off a shortstop error, and a broken bat.
The eighth inning played out exactly as the seventh, with most of the same players scoring, Cullen, D. Bowman, Grant French, and Cofer.
Sinclair did most of the pitching for the Bucks, with five strikeouts, three walks, and allowed 17 hits. Cullen then came in to close in the ninth, striking out two and allowing only one hit.
Ryan Cooper pitched six innings for the D’backs, striking out four and allowing 13. Seth Berry relieved Cooper mid-way into the seventh with three strikeouts, four walks, and five hits. Harlow closed in the ninth with two strikeouts and two walks.
The third game of the series will take place on Tuesday at Clover Hill.
“We just have to keep hammering and keep battling until the very last game,” Martin said. “We like the momentum. We like where we’re at.”