Struggling Reds Defense Leads To Dominate 12-6 Diamondback Victory

By Josiah Schulz
Errors were the name of the game for the Bridgewater Reds tonight after coming off a resounding 28-2 victory over the Elkton Blue Sox last evening. The Reds began their offensive game well, making contact with many pitches that would not result in any runs. This would finally change at the bottom of the 4th when outfielder Corbin Lucas would do what he does best: hitting home runs. Lucas would slam a ball right over the center fence for his first appearance at bat, putting up the first run for the Reds this game.

On the opposite side of the Reds dugout, the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks would also come out with fire, particularly due to one man: center fielder Terrell Thompson. An incredible standout performance from Thompson would kickstart the D-Backs energy for the rest of the night by eventually scoring off his lead-off hit. Another score that inning by teammate Kent Rooklin alongside a run a piece for both the D-Backs and Reds in the 5th would have the score at 3-1 in the Diamondbacks favor entering the 6th inning.

The top of the 6th inning, however, is when Bridgewater seemingly fell apart. Four fielding errors and many dropped fly balls by the Reds later, the visiting Diamondbacks would post 7 runs in just the 6th inning alone. Bridgewater would finally hold two meetings at the mound for relief pitcher Matt Schobe before ultimately replacing him with Nick Griffin. Diamondback Terrell Thompson would gladly capitalize on the mistakes of the Reds, posting a tremendous stateline of 3 runs, 3 hits, an RBI, and a hit at every single at bat to this point in the game.

“I felt really comfortable tonight. Pre-game I was nice and loose, but most importantly mentally focused and prepared for the game.” Said Terrell Thompson. “We knew that we needed to win some ball games, and luckily tonight I felt that everybody was locked in. We took a ‘L’ last night, but we are focused on getting over the hump and I feel like we really are on the right track.”

Prior to tonight’s game, the Diamondbacks ranked dead last in the league standings, holding a 1-7 record which would include the 14-6 loss against the Reds on opening night.
 
“What was different about tonight as opposed to any of our previous losses? Nothing.” Said Stuarts Draft’s head coach Chuck Booth. “We have great team chemistry and we get along great as a team. Tonight just happened to be a night that we clicked on all cylinders. We were making contact with the ball, we minimized our errors, and we capitalized on the mistakes they made. No difference in mentality. They always bring it. The first five games we played we threw away with errors. The sixth game we just got beat. We are starting to find our groove and once we do we’ll be a team to beat.”

As the Diamondbacks look to carry this momentum throughout the rest of the 11 games left in the regular season and improve their record, player/coach George Laase still remains optimistic for the remainder of the season and beyond for his team.

“Anytime we get a chance to play the game of baseball, it’s the greatest day in the world. Being 38, next year going into coaching, this means everything to me. A lot of the guys on this squad are young, but they are very willing to listen and try hard to pick up what the rest of the vets and I are trying to put down. They’re really fine tuning. And though you may not be able to see the advancements this team is making on a night especially like this one, in the long run, in the marathon, experiencing soul crushing losses like this one is going to make the kids much better off. It’s just fun to be a part of the game and pass it onto the next generation.”

Final score: Stuarts Draft 12 - Bridgewater 6.