Diamondbacks Snap Losing Streak at Bucks

By Dean Barker
​The Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks overcame an early deficit and picked up a 7-5 road win at the Clover Hill Bucks on Tuesday, June 27. With the win, the Diamondbacks improved to 6-10 and snapped a three game losing streak, while the Bucks fell to 9-5. 
 
“(The key was) just picking each other up,” Diamondbacks head coach Les Sandridge said. “Playing when we needed to play, get timely hits, and running bases smart.”
 
Job Harrell picked up the win to improve to 1-0, pitching two and a third innings, giving up runs on four hits with one walk and two strikeouts. Jacob Grabeel pitched the first four innings before leaving with an injury, giving up two earned runs on three hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Josh Matheney pitched an inning and two thirds, giving up no runs on no hits with two walks and no strikeouts. Chandis Goff got his second save of the year, pitching the ninth and giving up two earned runs on four hits with no walks and two strikeouts.
 
“We needed that win,” Goff said. “After the other night that we lost twice, we needed to get on top of everything, just take a breath and just throw the ball. We needed everything we could do.”
 
Sam Imeson took the loss to fall to 3-2, pitching five innings and giving up three earned runs on seven hits with a walk and seven strikeouts. Will Waller pitched three innings and gave up an earned run on two hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Tyler Conley gave up three earned runs in the ninth on three hits with two walks and a strikeout.
 
Kyle Carlson led off the bottom of the second with a solo shot over the left field wall to give Clover Hill a 1-0 lead. 
 
After two two-out throwing errors from the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the third, Koice Quintanilla would single to left to drive in the Bucks’ second run.
 
Following infield singles from Landon Lightner and Nate Wayne in the top of the fifth, Grayson Bush would single to center to plate Lightner, and Calen Owens singled to the shortstop to load the bases. Logan Duff singled to center to give Stuarts Draft a 3-2 lead. 
 
Waller hit Will Hass and Wayne in the sixth, and Grayson Bush drove in Hass with a two out double to right to make it 4-2. Alex Knicely hit a solo shot to left in the seventh to cut the lead to one.
 
Owens drove the first pitch of the top of the ninth over the right field wall to extend the Stuarts Draft lead to 5-3. Duff walked and Chaz Harvey singled. With one out, Hass doubled off the center field wall to drive in two more. After Hass stole third, Landon Lightner flew out to right, and Hass was thrown out at the plate.
 
“(I was thinking to) get a barrel, expect fastball to the right side, I know we had runners in scoring position, and just absolutely crush something that way,” Hass said.
 
Knicely, Bauer and John Siciliano led off the bottom of the ninth with a single each. Navedo and Shifflet struck out. Carlson singled off Goff’s glove into center field to drive in two, but TJ Johnson grounded out to end the game.
 
The Diamondbacks had seven runs on twelve hits with two errors and ten runners left on base. Owens was 3-5 with an RBI. Duff went 2-4 with two RBIs. Bush was 2-5 with two RBIs. Hass went 1-4 with two RBIs. Lightner was 2-5. Wayne went 1-3. Harvey went 1-5.
 
The Bucks had five runs on eleven hits with one error and ten runners stranded. Carlson was 2-5 with three RBIs. Knicely was 2-3 with an RBI. Quintanilla was 1-4 with an RBI. Bauer was 3-5. Siciliano went 2-4. Shifflett was 1-5.
 
The Diamondbacks will host the Elkton Blue Sox on Wednesday, June 28 at 7:30 pm. The Bucks will host the Grottoes Cardinals on Wednesday, June 28 at 7:30 pm.

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