Experience Not Enough
By Jesse Newell
Originally published 01:41 p.m., June 5, 2008
Updated 01:41 p.m., June 5, 2008
Photo by Jordan Haiduk
Emporia A’s coach Jerry Cook wasn’t mad about his team’s 17-3 and 13-3 losses to the U-14 Manhattan Titans on Wednesday.
Instead, he was upset that his players never came out with the mindset that they even had a chance.
“That’s a good team, but we’re older. We’re more experienced,” Cook said of his 16-and-under squad. “If we come out here and show effort and hustle, maybe those guys think, ‘We can’t play with the older guys.’”
Instead, Manhattan dominated from the beginning, feasting on Emporia’s pitching to pick up the two run-rule wins.
Photo by Jordan Haiduk
“We lost focus a little bit,” Emporia’s Devin Sanchez said. “Our pitching wasn’t that good. We could have done better.”
In Game One, Sanchez provided an offensive spark before things got away from the A’s.
Following a walk, Sanchez helped tie the score in the second.
With two outs, he sent an RBI double to the left-field gap to bring in Josh Lambert and make the score 1-1.
“Their pitcher was down the middle most of the time, and I pretty much like that,” Sanchez said. “I saw the ball the whole way. It felt good. I just took it.”
The game wouldn’t stay tied for long, as Emporia was again haunted by one bad inning.
This time it was the third, when the A’s rotated through three pitchers before getting their first out.
Photo by Jordan Haiduk
After five walks, five hits and a pair of Emporia errors, Manhattan completed an 11-run outburst that made it 12-1.
The A’s forced in three runs with walks during the inning.
“If we eliminate those walks, maybe we take away eight runs (in the game),” Cook said. “Obviously we have to get better at that.”
Emporia scored its only other runs without the benefit of a hit in the bottom of the third.
Jase Hubert led off with a walk, and after James Rodriguez was hit by a pitch, Matt Weatherred walked to load the bases.
Justin Wilson provided an RBI groundout, and Weatherred later scored on a wild pitch.
Manhattan added five more in the fifth to enforce the run rule.
Sanchez led Emporia’s offense, going 1-for-1 with a walk and RBI.
Lambert and Rodriguez had the team’s other two hits.
In the second game, Manhattan started with a seven-run first off A’s ace Chase Speer.
The Titans also received some help: Emporia had three errors in the inning.
“We didn’t play baseball,” Cook said. “We didn’t have fun.”
Emporia scored its first two runs in the second.
Wilson led off with a deep drive off the left-field wall for a triple, and Lambert followed with a walk.
With two outs, Brett McEvoy lined a single back up the middle to score both runners.
The A’s tacked on another in the third.
Rodriguez walked, then Weatherred drove him in with an RBI double to right.
Manhattan, meanwhile, scored one in the second, four in the third and one more in the fourth for its second straight run-rule victory.
One positive for Emporia was that, after the first, the team committed no errors the rest of the way.
Weatherred led the A’s offense, going 2-for-2 with a double, stolen base and RBI. Sanchez finished his doubleheader a combined 2-for-2 with two walks.
Cook said that an increase in discipline might be on its way if his team didn’t start showing the emotion and effort he desired.
“We’re going to change things around,” Cook said. “The way things are going now, it’s not working.
“Obviously, it’s a thing we have to build on, and we have to give them time to work.”
Wednesday at Soden’s Grove
Game One
Manhattan 17, Emporia A’s 3
Manhattan 10(11) 05X X — 17 13 1
Emporia A’s 012 00X X — 3 3 3
W — Brooks DeBord. L — Dustin Lingenfelter.
2B — Manhattan: Brooks Lindsay 2, Cody Hieman, Collin Wood; Emporia: Devin Sanchez. SB — Manhattan: Ty Wendland, Lindsay, Derek Francis, Chris Turner 2; Emporia: Rodriguez, Josh Lambert 2. Emporia A’s highlights — Devin Sanchez 1-1, 2B, BB, RBI; Josh Lambert 1-1, 2 BB, 2 SB, R; James Rodriguez 1-1, 2 HBP, SB.
Game Two
Manhattan 13, Emporia A’s 3
Manhattan 714 1XX X — 13 11 0
Emporia A’s 021 0XX X — 3 5 3
W — Trey Francis. L — Chase Speer.
2B — Manhattan: Brooks DeBord, Chris Turner; Emporia: Matt Weatherred. 3B — Emporia: Justin Wilson. SB — Manhattan: Ty Wendland, Taylor Hilgers 2, Derek Francis; Emporia: Weatherred, Josh Lambert. Emporia A’s highlights — Brett McEvoy 1-2, 2 RBI; Matt Weatherred 2-2, 2B, SB, RBI; Justin Wilson 1-2, 3B, R; Devin Sanchez 1-1, BB.
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Posted by eldiablo (anonymous) on June 6, 2008 at 12:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Run 'em!
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