Huge Fifth, Sixth Innings Push Broadway Past Elkton

By Dean Barker
​After both teams took a no-hitter into the fifth inning, the Broadway Bruins exploded in the fifth and sixth innings to mercy rule the Elkton Blue Sox 11-0 on Monday, June 26 at home. With the win, the Bruins improved to 9-5, while the Blue Sox fell to 0-15.
 
“(The key was) being able to put together good at-bats, what we’ve been doing all year,” Bruins head coach Bryce Strawderman said. “Finally had some hits fall there in the (fifth and sixth) innings, be able to put some runs across. Put together some better at-bats at the plate, draw some walks, make some (Elkton) errors, and be able to put runs across.”
 
Sam Vandry picked up the win for Broadway to improve to 1-1, pitching six scoreless innings and giving up two hits with five walks and four strikeouts. Dalton Benson pitched a scoreless seventh with one hit, no walks and no strikeouts.
 
“(I was able to) really just execute my pitches,” Vandry said. “All I could do was locate fastball, locate slider, and just weak contact. I’m always a weak contact guy, so I just let my fielders work tonight.”
 
Taran Baker took the loss for Elkton to fall to 0-4, giving up seven runs (three earned) on four hits with four walks and two strikeouts. Garrett Critzer pitched two thirds of an innings and gave up four unearned runs on two hits with three walks and a strikeout.
 
Jake Wakefield broke up the no-hitter in the top of the fifth with a leadoff single in the fifth, and reached second on a bunt from Wyatt Estep, but he could go no further.
 
Micah Canterbury would break up the Blue Sox’ no-hitter with a leadoff single. Carl Keenan would bunt a single, and a wild throw allowed Canterbury to reach third. Kevin Rush walked to load the bases. Brody Bower would ground into a forceout at home. Ryan Martin singled to left to give Broadway a 2-0 lead. A sacrifice fly from Colin McGuire and a two run single from Ethan Burgreen made it 5-0.
 
Brandon Mullins and Ethan Painter walked with two outs in the sixth, and Aiden Baker singled to center to load the bases, but Jake Wakefield struck out with a full count to end the inning.
 
With the bases loaded in the sixth, Brody Bower singled to right to make it 7-0. McGuire was hit for the eighth run. Burgreen was walked to push the lead to nine, and Jayden Nixon singled to center to make the lead 11-0, which is how it would end.
 
The Bruins had eleven runs on six hits with one error and three left on base. Burgreen was 1-3 with three RBIs. Nixon was 1-1 with two RBIs. Bower was 1-2 with two RBIs. Martin was 1-3 with two RBIs. McGuire was 0-2 with two RBIs. Canterbury was 1-2. Keenan went 1-3.
 
“I was just focused on getting up in the box and making sure I was getting the ball out front,” Burgreen said. “Even though it was on the slower side, you can get caught up in waiting back too much, you know, I was not trying to do that, I was trying to stay out, get the ball out here and get some barrel, and I think that’s what we started to do after that fifth inning.”
 
The Blue Sox had no runs on three hits with two errors and seven base runners stranded. Baker and Wakefield went 1-3. Estep was 1-2.
 
The Bruins will try to push their win streak to four at the Montezuma Braves on Wednesday, June 28 at 7:30 pm. The Blue Sox will look for their first win at the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks on Wednesday, June 28 at 7:30 pm.

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