Shockers Rally to Take Finals Rematch

By Dean Barker
In a rematch of last year’s RCBL Championship Series, the New Market Shockers rallied with five runs in the sixth to knock off the defending champion Broadway Bruins 5-4. With their seventh win in a row, the Shockers move to 12-4 and are 2.5 games ahead in first. With their fourth consecutive loss, the Bruins fell to 8-8 and are now in sixth place.

Michael Prosper picked up the win to move to 2-0, allowing just one run and striking out five in three innings. CJ Morton picked up his third save with two strikeouts in the ninth inning. Kaden Spaid gave up three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts in five innings.
 
Isaac VanMeter took the loss to move to 0-2, giving up five earned runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in six innings. Jett Shue gave up no earned runs with five strikeouts and just one hit in three innings to get the no-decision.

Justin Lohr led off the game with a standup triple, and Trent Abernathy would drive him in with a sacrifice fly to put Broadway up 1-0. Jordan Yankey would reach third in the second, but the Bruins stranded him.

Trevor Thomas would lead off the top of the fourth with a single. Henry Delavergne tried to pick him off from center field, but was just too late. Catcher Dawson Russel tried to pick him off on a pop out for our number two, but just missed. Spaid would throw away trying to pick him off, moving him to first, and Yankey would walk. Peyton Davis came through with a two run RBI triple to left to extend the lead to 3-0. Davis was thrown out at third by Russel.

Michael Prosperi took over for Spaid in the top of the sixth, and sat the Bruins down 1-2-3.
 
After five innings of shutout, two-hit baseball from VanMeter, the Shockers finally broke through in the sixth. Russel was hit to lead off, and Delavergne bunted his way on. Nick Goode would drive in one with an RBI double to left. Frankie Ritter bunted to VanMeter, who would throw past the first baseman Lohr to allow another run to score. Pearce Bucher followed up with a two run single to put New Market up 4-3. VanMeter would be replaced by Jett Shue, who, with the bases loaded, threw a wild pitch to allow Bucher to come home. That would be all, as Shue would strike out the next three to end the inning with the score 5-3.

Broadway would plate one run in the eighth, as Lohr would score from third as a throw to catch Abernathy at second went wild. With runners on the corners and two outs, Prosperi would strike out Yankey to escape the threat. In the ninth, Morton would strike out two and retire another to pick up the save.
 
The Bruins left five on base and one error which did not result in a run. The Shockers stranded six and had two errors, one which led to a run in the eighth.

Davis went 1-4 with two RBIs for the Bruins. Abernathy went 1-3 with one RBI on a sacrifice fly. Lohr went 1-3 with two runs scored. Trevor Thomas went 1-4 with a run. Ben Reid was 1-4. Broadway had eight hits on the night.

Bucher went 1-4 with two RBIs and one run scored. Goode was 2-4 with a run and an RBI. Ritter went 1-3 with a run scored. Delavergne was 1-4 with a run scored. Russel scored one run. The Shockers had eight hits.

Bucher said he had been looking for a big opportunity in the sixth inning when he ripped the go-ahead double.
 
“Two guys in scoring position, I’d been wanting that all night,” Bucher said. “It finally came up on me, so I was just motivated to stay short, do what I can to make those two runs score, get one base and then do something else, get a couple more runs.”

The Shockers will host the Elkton Blue Sox on Saturday, July 17 at 7:30 pm. The Bruins will host the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks at the same date and time. The Bruins and Shockers will meet one last time in the regular season on Sunday, July 18 in Broadway at 6:30 pm.

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