PLYMOUTH – Plymouth’s Pilgrims continue to scratch their heads and wonder, as once again they had the tying runs on base before falling in their last at bat by a 4-1 final to Northridge.
Once again solid pitching and defense kept the Pilgrims in the game, absorbing a nine hit attack – including six doubles and a home run – to keep themselves in the game to the final at bat. The Pilgrims could manage just two hits of their own until the final three outs. Somehow they managed to load the bases and put the lead run at the plate with two outs.
“Told the guys we wanted to get the tying run to the plate and we did that,” said Plymouth head coach Ryan Wolfe. “We can’t afford one hit until the seventh.”
Cam Eveland was the starter for the Pilgrims and in his second outing struggled at times but made big pitch after big pitch to get himself out of trouble. Eveland escaped trouble in the first two innings with the strikeout. He got Nick Hooley and cleanup hitter Andrew Kennedy on strikes after a leadoff double by Grant Miller in the first inning and with runners at second and third in the second struck out Payton Carson and Eric Burgess to end the threat.
The one pitch he may want back is a 2-2 curve ball to Sam Troyer that hung just enough for him to take it over the wall in left center. It was the only two that the Raiders were able to touch Eveland for in the game.
Meanwhile Northridge starter Travis Miller was very economical, throwing just 66 pitches and using his pitch selection and location to keep Pilgrim hitters off balance.
“I thought he worked well inside and then when we moved off the plate he’d throw that change up or curve ball away and get our guys out front,” said Wolfe. “I thought he did a good job of mixing his pitches, but we had our chances.”
In the bottom of the seventh trailing 4-0 Braydon Davidson walked with one out and gave way to pinch runner Jeremy Splix. Spencer Maecroft singled, Elijah Nixon hit into a fielders choice. Pinch hitter Caleb Mikesell singled and George Stults was hit by a pitch loading the bases with two out.
Northridge called on reliever Andy Ross to strike out pinch hitter Bailey Clark to end the threat.
“We’re going to change some things up in practice, we’re going to change something up because evidently what we’ve been doing isn’t working and I’ll take the blame for that. We have to figure this out because we’ve pitched well enough and played defense well enough to win some ballgames.”
Plymouth falls to 6-8 and 3-4 in the NLC and play on the road at Elkhart Memorial on Wednesday night. Northridge is now 13-3 and 6-1 in conference play.
Linescore
Northridge 0 0 2 0 0 1 1 4-9-0
Plymouth 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1-4-0
WP – Miller (6-0). LP – Eveland (0-1). S – Ross. HR – Troyer (NR). 2B – G. Miller 2 (NR), Kennedy (NR), M. Miller 2 (NR), B. Miller (NR).
