Double play keeps CCS on top

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COOPERSTOWN’S HENRY STEWART IS thrown out at first after laying down a successful sacrifice bunt to move the winning run, Kevin Huggins, to second. The Redskins beat Westmoreland on Monday with a score of 3-2. CHERYL CLOUGH

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May 3, 2012

Double play keeps CCS on top

The Cooperstown Crier Thu May 03, 2012, 08:59 AM EDT

BY GREG KLEIN

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jarrett Hotaling tagged out Kyle

Doolen at the plate to complete a

dramatic game-ending double play

that preserved Cooperstown’s 3-2

baseball victory over Westmoreland

on Monday at Doubleday Field.

With Doolen at third base with

one out, Jon Guy hit a slow roller

toward first base. Cooperstown had

its infield in to stop the potential

tying run. Redskin first baseman

Ben Pierson fielded the ball, looked

Doolan back, and turned to make

the out at first. Doolenthen took off

for home and was called out as he

tried to slide wide past Hotaling.

Bulldog coach Dave Farley

protested the call, pointing to the

part of the plate he felt his player

had touched. However, the call

stood, and the game ended with the

Redskins (5-4, 4-1) notching another

Center State Conference victory.

“That was a bang-bang play,

all right,” said Cooperstown coach

Frank Miosek. “We made a mistake.

Ben did a great job fielding the ball,

and looking the runner back, but

he turned his back on the runner to

make the out at first, and he had a

little bit of trouble finding the bag.”

“(Farley) sent his player home.

I don’t know if I would have done

the same thing in that situation.

It is just a difference in coaching

philosophy,” he added. “I saw the

play pretty well. (Doolen) missed

the plate. Jarrett had the plate

blocked and he had to slide around

him and hook the bag, and I think

he missed it.”

The top of the seventh inning

began with another big play. Bulldog

catcher Matt Falcone led off

with a single to left field, but was

picked off the base by Pierson and

Cooperstown reliever Ethan Bliss.

“That was a big play,” Miosek

said. “If Ethan doesn’t make that

pickoff, then they have two men on

with no outs.”

Doolen batted after Falcone,

and singled to center field. He stole

second and took third on a passed

ball to set up the final play.

Bliss came on to pitch in the

sixth inning, preserving the win for

Sawyer Haney. Westmoreland had a

man on third at the time, with one

out. Jason Dee singled off Haney,

stole second and took third on a

wild pitch. However, Bliss struck out

Andrew Murphy and got Brandon

Murphy to line out to second to end

the inning with Dee stranded on

third.

“Bliss came up big today,” Miosek

said. “He never showed any concern

about the situation. He had his

game face on. That’s the way he is;

it is nice to see that kind of attitude

in a junior.”

Cooperstown trailed 2-0 early,

but manufactured three solo runs

to take the lead. The game-winning

run came in the fifth inning. Kevin

Huggins singled to lead off the

inning. He advanced to second on

Henry Stewart’s sacrifice and scored

on Hotaling’s triple.

Huggins went 2-for-3 and scored

two runs in the game. He also made

a run-saving play in center field. He

made a diving catch in the top of

the fifth to record the final out of

the inning, again with Doolen on

third base.

“Nico Knull made that exact

same play for Kevin to preserve his

no-hitter last week,” Miosek said.

“Today it was Kevin’s turn to save

somebody.”

Cooperstown tied the game in

the fourth inning on a run scored

without a hit. Knull walked, stole

second, took third on a wild pitch

and scored on Derek Liner’s sacrifice

fly to left field.

Huggins scored the first run for

the Redskins in the third inning. He

singled, stole second, took third on

a passed ball and scored on Hotaling’s

single. Hotaling went 3-for-3

with two RBI.

The Bulldogs got both their runs

in the second inning off Redskin

starter Ryon Bennett. Bennett had

pitched a one-two-three first inning,

throwing only six pitches. However,

he jammed his thumb batting in the

bottom of the first, and ended up

leaving the mound in the second,

and the game in the third.

In the second, Bennett hit Guy to

lead off the inning, and after getting

a strikout, he gave up two straight

doubles to Anthony Poile and Zack

Green to stake the Bulldogs to their

2-0 lead.

“He’s had that problem before,”

Miosek said of Bennett’s thumb.

“I shouldn’t let him hit (when he

pitches). I am going to have to DH

for him from now on. But he’s hitting

.500 so I hate to have him out of the

lineup.”

Haney replaced Bennett and

pitched 3 and 2/3 innings to pick up

the win. Doolen pitched the complete

game for Westmoreland (4-7,

2-3) to take the loss. The Bulldogs left

eight batters on base, including the

bases loaded in the second inning.

With the win Cooperstown

is tied with Hamilton for second

place in CSC Division III behind

undefeated Sauquoit. The Redskins

played Mohawk in a non-league

game yesterday after deadline. They

host Morrisville-Eaton tomorrow at

Doubleday Field in a league game.

COOPERSTOWN 3, WESTMORELAND 2

Westmoreland 020 000 0 _ 2 8 1

Cooperstown 001 110 x _ 3 5 1

Kyle Doolen (L) and Matt Falcone. Ryan Bennett,

Sawyer Haney (W),

Ethan Bliss and Jarrett Hotaling. 2B _ Anthony

Poile (W), Zack Green

(W). 3B _ Jarrett Hotaling (C).