Minford mauls Coal Grove in 16-2 mercy rule win
COAL GROVE — Working the pitch count can be highly effective for a team as long as a unit's approach remains consistent. From the top of the order to the bottom of the lineup, the Minford Falcons' baseball program's plate discipline and approach gave the Coal Grove Hornets' baseball program fits on Tuesday evening in a nonconference contest, as Minford collected nine hits, drew eight walks and got a seven-strikeout performance from Mason Bradley on the mound as the Falcons claimed a 16-2 win over the Hornets in a five-inning mercy-rule at Coal Grove High School. For Minford head coach Eli Daniels, the Falcons' consistency at the plate helped lead the entire order to crooked frames later in the contest, as evidenced by Minford's six-run third inning as well as its seven-run fourth.
"The bats came alive in the third and fourth innings," Daniels said. "We stacked some quality at-bats on top of each other, and when you do that, you'll score some runs. We put some stress on the defense, they made some mistakes, and we capitalized on those mistakes.
" From the outset, Minford capitalized early on its opportunities. Falcon standout and future Shawnee State talent Ty Borland shot a two-out triple to center field, and cleanup hitter Carter Frazie followed with his own extra base hit — an RBI double to center — to drive in Borland and push the lead to a 1-0 margin after an inning of play. Coal Grove answered in the bottom of the second inning by evening the game at one apiece following an error, but that proved to be as close as the Hornets would get to building up any sort of momentum the rest of the way.
In the top of the third inning, Minford sent 10 batters to the plate in a six-run frame. Curtis Glenn got the run going by legging out a bunt single, while Max Lauder followed with an opposite field base knock that ultimately allowed Glenn to score and Lauder to advance to second base after an error in the outfield. Borland then came back up and notched an RBI base knock to left field to push the score to 3-1.
Walks by Frazie, Colby Mullins, Mark Napier and Colt Donahoe along with a two-run error turned the 1-1 ballgame into a 7-1 Minford lead. The Falcons' top of the order, led by Lauder, Bradley, Borland and Frazie, ultimately went 6-for-13 with a triple, two doubles, six RBI and seven runs scored between them. Curtis Glenn helped ignite the offense at the bottom of the order from the nine-hole by going 2-for-3 with a walk, two RBI and two runs scored to boot.