Eagles Struck Down by Patriots
WILMORE, Ky. – The comeback was on as the Eagles were erasing a six-run deficit in the 8th inning, but then the lightning came along with the setting of the sun and Asbury ended up losing 17-11 to Cumberlands (Ky.).
Asbury had trimmed the margin to 17-15 with runners at second and third with only one out in the bottom of the eighth but then lightning struck and the game was called. All stats from the eighth inning were erased and the game rolls back to the last completed inning, the seventh, and the Eagles suffered a tough loss.
Danny Olszowy and Casey Messner each collected four hits in the game as Messner led off the bottom of the first with his second home run of the season. Messner’s singles in the fourth and fifth innings also collected RBIs. Olszowy had four RBIs in the game including a two-run double in the third that tied the game at 3-3. The senior also had RBI singles in the fifth and seventh innings. He was on base five times in the game after also being hit by a pitch.
The Eagles took a 5-3 lead in the fourth but in the top of the fifth the Patriots scored 7 times, knocking Connor Belcher out of the game. Belcher allowed only four hits in his 4.1 innings of work but was the victim of bad defense which led to five of the eight runs against being unearned. Asbury committed seven errors in the game.
Asbury responded after the seven-run-fifth by the Patriots with five of their own to tie the game at 10-10. But the Patriots added four and three in the next two innings to pull away. Mark Leake takes the loss, his fourth of the season after pitcher two-thirds of an inning and allowing five runs, four earned, on two hits and four walks. The Eagles walked eight and hit three while the Patriots walked only four and hit three. Duncan Kaai-Ebert picked up the win in relief.
Asbury heads to the KIAC round-robin at Alice Lloyd this weekend. The Eagles will meet Indiana Southeast, who they split four games with, on Thursday at 12 p.m. and Alice Lloyd, who took three of four, also on Thursday at 3 p.m. After an off-day on Friday the Eagles return to action on Saturday against Berea and Brescia.
