McCarthy singles in win for Stadium

Photo by Rocky Ross

MCCARTHY

Sure, neither team figures to be playing for the Narrows League championship at this point, and both have an uphill climb to crawl into contention for a state playoff berth, but the Stadium Tigers and the Foss Falcons met at Cheney Stadium April 12 ready to play a good one. Featuring tough pitching and extra innings, the Tigers eked out a 4-3 win in eight.

“We’ve been getting a lot of balls bouncing the wrong way and today we got a couple to bounce our way,” said Stadium coach Chuck Peterson. “We’ve just been trying to pull it together.”

The hero of the day for the Tigers was pitcher Anthony McCarthy. He started the ballgame, giving up two runs and striking out three, but it was his contribution with the bat that put Stadium over the top.

“He (McCarthy) has been on top for us this year,” Peterson said. “He has been one of our leaders, with the bat, with the defense, with the pitching. Last year he wasn’t, he was at the bottom or the middle.”

With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth, the Tigers had two runners on base when McCarthy came up to the plate. On the 2-1 pitch, he pushed the ball to the left side for a single and second baseman Kevin Meyers dashed in for the game-winning run.

“I just relaxed, I stayed compact and hit,” McCarthy said. “[It was] just a fastball and [I] took it the other way because I saw the centerfielder playing off to the left.”

The win gave the Tigers their third straight victory, pushing their Narrows League record to 3-4 after a 0-4 start. If Stadium wants to get back to the regionals – where it saw its season end last year – or even further, it is going to have to keep winning.

The Tigers pounced on top in the game in the bottom of the first. Leadoff hitter Jay Skilton battled through a nine pitch at bat to reach first on a walk by Foss pitcher Andy Hunthausen, and from there, Skilton just stayed alert.

He took second on a passed ball, stole third and then found his way home on a wild pitch to put his team up 1-0 in the early going. In the bottom of the third, the Tigers were at it again, and once again Skilton played a big role.

Skilton drew another walk to get on first with one out. This time, though, he did not have to do all the work by himself, as he was able to score from third on a single by Jake Schumacher. Later in the inning, Schumacher, who went 3-4 to lead all hitters in the game, scored from third on an error by Hunthausen.

After that, however, the Tigers’ bats went cold. They only put together four hits over the next four innings.

“Our bats have been cold all year, we’re just not putting streak hitting together,” Peterson said. “We’re getting a couple guys that hit the ball and a couple guys that stand and strike out – those are going to be our turning points, if we get up there, swing the bat and get hungry.”

Foss took advantage of Stadium’s lack of hitting. The Falcons scored in the top of the fourth when shortstop Brendan Bartenan converted a leadoff walk into a run thanks to a single by Bryce Smith to cut the deficit to 3-1.

With Hunthausen getting stronger on the mound – the senior pitched seven innings and struck out seven – the Falcons were able to tie the game up at 3-3 in the top of the sixth, when Andrew Bollinger scored on a bases loaded walk from Stadium’s Seth Timpke to Bartenan.

Neither team scored in the seventh and McCarthy pulled out his heroics in the bottom of the eighth to win the game and keep the Tigers’ much-needed winning streak alive.

“Practices are good, we work hard and have fun,” Peterson said. “We’re keeping our heads in it, but it’s just getting that combo, all together at the same time.”

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