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Bears top Knights

NEW MANCHESTER — Oak Glen took advantage of two straight Wheeling Central errors to walk off with a 5-4 come-from-behind win during a steady drizzle Monday night at the Golden Bears’ Field of Dreams.

T.J. Osbon’s club scored the winning run in the home half of the seventh inning without the benefit of a hit.

The Maroon Knights entered the game with a 17-2 record, but incurred some defensive difficulties and struggled offensively after the first two innings.

Osbon started freshman Kaleb Dailey, who last week took the mound for his first varsity start and beat rival Weir High, but the little lefty faced only four batters all of whom got on base. It turned out Dailey incurred an injury that forced Osbon to bring in sophomore Garrett Brewer, who started the game in right field.

Brewer came in with a run already across the plate and two men on board. Only one of those runners scored and he gave up another run in the top of the second inning, which gave the Maroon Knights a 3-0 lead.

“Brewer has been up and down this year, but he bounced back today and pitched a phenomenal game,” said Osbon, whose club was winning its 11th game in 19 outings. “He really put us in a great position.

“We had a little adversity in the first inning with the injury to Dailey, but Garrett filled in, stepping up. We couldn’t ask for more.

He did great.”

The Golden Bears tied the game at 3 in the fourth inning and possibly could have scored more except for some miscues on the base paths. Brewer and Josh Cline started the rally with back-to-back free passes. During Cline’s at bat, Brewer raced to second base on a wild pitch and to third on a passed ball.

Jake O’Brien laced a single to left field to drive home Brewer and after walks to Jeff Rice and Lance Colliins, Ty Logston’s infield grounder was misplayed allowing O’Brien and Rice to score.

“We’ve been winning and I said before we do three things,” said veteran coach Bo McConnaughy. “You hit with men on base, Make the routine plays, which we didn’t do at all and you get good pitching and you’re in the game. We were not in the game and the errors cost us dearly.

“They could have had more runs in that one inning. It looked like a circus out there the way we were throwing the ball around. We could have pitched a tent. Heck, that one play went 4-1-6-5. With that many throws something’s going to go wrong.

“We did not hit the ball. The Oak Glen pitcher threw a heck of a game and I told him that after the game. He shut us out and we were never a threat.”

That wasn’t exactly the case because the Maroon Knights got a go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning when Caleb Custer sprinted home on Adam Murray’s RBI single to right field.

That lead didn’t last long as the Golden Bears tied it again in the bottom of the sixth. Blase Almo got a one out single and moved to second on a wild pitch. He sprinted home on a Jeff Rice single to right field.

Logston started the winning rally by drawing a walk from Murray, who replaced Stratwick during Oak Glen’s fourth inning uprising. He advanced to second when Marques McHaffie’s bouncer was misplayed and then scored the walk-off run after Brewer hit a one hopper to third base that was thrown wildly over the first baseman.

“We’re starting to hit the ball hard,” said Osbon, whose club got six hits in the game. “We’re really coming around as far as hitting. It was one of those back and forth games and we came out the winner.

“They are a very good baseball team so it is a good win for us. They have a very good coach and a respectable program They put it on us down there early in the season.

“I’m proud of these boys. They played great. The energy was great today The attitudes were awesome. We got down early, but we came back. It was a great team win today.”

The Golden Bears continue the home stand today hosting Hancock County rival Weir High in a return match that could have implications in the sectional seeding.

Oak Glen 5, Wheeling Central 4

Wheeling Central 210 001 0 — 4 10 4

Oak Glen 000 301 1 — 5 6 0

WHEELINIG CENTRAL (17-3): Stratwick (0K, 4W), Murray (4, LP, 2K, 2) and Lawrence, Cline. Brown 2S, 2R, SB; Stratwick 2S, RBI; Z. McAbee 2S; C.McAbee 2S, RBI; Custer S, R; Lawrence S, R.

OAK GLEN (11-8): Dailey (0K, 2W), Brewer (1, WP, 3K, 2W) and McHaffie; Feicht 2S; Logston S, R; O’Brien S, R, RBI; Almo S, R; Rice S, R, RBI.

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