BASEBALL: MARSHALL'S HR POWERS KENWOOD TO CLOSE VICTORY OVER PARKVILLE

 by Brandon Hopp
bhopp@digitalsports.com

Kenwood's varsity baseball team seems to have a formula for how they win their games.  The Bluebirds jump out to a big lead, allow the opposing team to get back into the game before turning it on late for the win.

On Tuesday, it took 12 innings to defeat Perry Hall after jumping out to a 7-1 lead then allowing the Gators back in the game.  The final score was 10-9. 

Today, the trend continued.  After five complete innings, Kenwood led No. 15 Parkville 7-2.  The Knights used a five-run sixth inning to tie the score before the Bluebirds battled back in the bottom half of the inning and claimed a 10-7 victory at home.

"We let them get back in the game by scoring the five runs to tie it but [our] team just decided amongst themselves and they said it, 'let's get [the runs] back'," said Kenwood head coach Jay Diggs of his players.  And they did; that's the sign of a good team."

"Parkville has always been a good rivalry with Kenwood...we always have good games."
 
The Knights (7-4 overall, 2-1 Baltimore County Division I) scored two runs in the top of the third on head's up base running by senior Chris Schroeder and junior Alex Amos, who was caught in a rundown but escaped, to take a 2-1 lead.

The Bluebirds (9-2, 4-1) battled back in the home half of the fourth inning and scored four runs.  Junior first baseman Josh Butzner singled and scored on senior David Stemple's second triple of the game.  Stemple scored from third on a play at the plate and a throwing error allowed him to be safe.  Another throwing error allowed seniors Cory Grossman and Charlie Myers, who advanced to second and third respectively on the previous error, to score and give Kenwood a 5-2 advantage.

The Birds tacked on two more runs in the fifth on a solo homer by Josh James and an RBI by Grossman to take what seemed like a comfortable 7-2 lead into the late stages of the game.

But Parkville, who was previously unbeaten in the Division I race, stayed patient at the plate and scored five runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game.  Bluebirds' starting pitcher Alan Ogle began to labor in the sixth and loaded the bases full of Knights.  Kenwood pitchers Ogle, relievers Josh Pagliaro and Larry Hicks combined to allow five walks before finally getting out of the innings.

With one out and the bases loaded, senior Mike Gagne hit a sacrifice fly to left field and Amos tagged up and scored what would have given Parkville a 8-7 lead.  However, Amos, who singled and drove in a run earlier in the inning, left third base a couple steps too soon and was called out by the home plate umpire, leaving the game tied 7-7.

As they did the day before, Kenwood used a last minute charge to claim the victory.  Junior catcher Randy Marshall led off the bottom of the sixth with a drive that was caught by the wind and sailed over the head of the Knights' center fielder and rolled for what seemed like forever, allowing Marshall to labor around the bases for a home run.   Back-to-back singles by Steven Fama and Hicks got a couple of runners on base and a fielding error and a sac fly brought them in to score and Kenwood took the 10-7 lead.

"It felt great," said Marshall who began to run out of gas after rounding second.  "I needed an oxygen tank..."

Hicks then struck out two batters in the the final inning to close it out for the Bluebirds, who now sit atop of the Division.

Kenwood 10, No. 15 Parkville 7

P    002    005    0    --    7    5    3
K    010    423    x    --    10    9    2

Myers, Hollern (5), Myers (6) and Delfino; Ogle, Pagliaro (6), Hicks (6) and Marshall.

WP: K--Hicks. LP: P--Myers.

3B: K--Stemple 2.
HR: K--James, Marshall.