Explosive Game Four Has Shockers One Win From Title

By Dean Barker
​The #3 RCBL Shockers rolled on the mound and at the plate to take game four of the RCBL Finals 10-3 over the #1 Bridgewater Reds on Saturday, August 12. With the win, the Shockers took a 3-1 series lead and are one win away from their second RCBL Championship in three years.
 
“It’s a big win for us; we’re one win away now, and we don’t want to let the defending champs get back in the series,” Shockers head coach Nolan Potts said.
 
Kirk Messick got the win to improve to 11-0, pitching nine innings and giving up three runs (two earned) on nine hits with a walk and six strikeouts in 91 pitches.
 
“Just throw strikes, let them put the ball in play, let my defense back me up, and make good plays behind me,” Messick said.
 
Derek Shifflett took the loss to fall to 11-1, pitching eight innings and giving up ten runs on thirteen hits with seven walks and nine strikeouts. Shifflett threw 151 pitches, totaling 318 for this past week.
 
“Kudos to Derek for coming back out there again after he threw a ton the other night,” Potts said.
 
Chris Huffman hit a solo shot in the top of the first to put the Reds on the board. The Shockers responded in the bottom half, as Luke Keister’s single to center was bobbled, allowing the first run to come home. Pearce Bucher singled to left to bring home the second run, and Keister came home on a wild pitch to make the score 3-1 Shockers.
 
Matt House added some insurance with an RBI ground rule double in the bottom of the third.
 
Shifflett ripped an RBI single with two outs in the fourth, but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double. With two outs and the bases loaded in the bottom half, Dawson Russell singled to left to push the lead to 6-2 for the Shockers.
 
Harrison Madagan and Keister doubled back-to-back in the fifth to bring in a run, and Keister scored on a wild pitch to extend the lead to 8-2.
 
“We put good swings on it, had a lot of runners on base, (still) left too many on there in my opinion, but we scored the ones when they mattered and got it done,” Keister said.
 
Grey Sherfey singled with two outs in the seventh to bring in the third Bridgewater run, but was thrown out at second.
 
Connor Houser ripped a two out, two run single in the bottom of the eighth to make the final score 10-3 Shockers.
 
The Shockers had ten runs on thirteen hits with one error and ten runners left on base. Keister was 4-5 with two RBIs. Madagan went 3-5. Houser was 2-4 with two RBIs. Russell was 1-5 with two RBIs. House went 1-5 with one RBI. Bucher went 1-4 with an RBI. Bodie Pullen was 1-4.
 
The Reds had three runs on nine hits with an error and five base runners stranded. Huffman was 3-4 with an RBI and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Shifflett was 2-4 with an RBI. Sherfey went 1-3 with an RBI. Sam Garber went 2-4. Noah Cornwell was 1-4.
 
The Shockers will look to win it all when they travel to Ray Heatwole Field on Monday, August 14 at 7:30 pm.
 
“Monday night, we’ve got to come out ready to roll and not give them any sort of momentum moving forward,” Potts said.

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