Stuarts Draft Struggles Continue in Seven Inning Loss to Montezuma

By Mitchell Broughton
The Diamondbacks, the lone winless team in the County League, stay that way for the time being as Stuarts Draft falls to the Montezuma Braves in seven innings last night 16-6.

The issues seemed to come from the mound as six Stuarts Draft pitchers saw action but none found a rhythm. Jacob and Josh Matheney in a little over three innings, allowed nine hits, 12 runs, and only struck out three.

Offensively, Stuarts Draft did not look as bad. Three D'Backs sent balls into the cornfields beyond the Ruritan Park walls — Jack Pausic, Cody Bartley, and Tyler Wilcher. Pausic drove in three runs in the contest and scored twice himself.

After Monday’s 10-1 loss to Elkton, Montezuma found their plate presence again. PJ Hanisak went 4-for-4 on the evening with two doubles, a triple, and five RBIs. Second baseman Jacob Haney pitched in with a double that drove in two and a solo homerun in the following inning. 

VCU-commit Andrew Ward had himself another impressive outing on the mound. The left-handed pitcher went four innings with three hits, three earned runs, and seven strikeouts. Coming in for relief, Derek Ryan only allowed a hit and two walks while striking out two of his own.

Stuarts Draft falls to 0-5 on the season and will travel to JMU’s Eagle Field tonight to play the Broadway Bruins. Montezuma, now 3-5, will stay at Ruritan Park tonight but as the away team against the Bridgewater Reds. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 first pitches.
 
FINAL (in 7 innings): Stuarts Draft 6 Montezuma 16. Winning pitcher: Andrew Ward (1-0). Losing pitcher: Jacob Matheney (0-1).

— Around the League: Broadway got the best of Grottoes, shutting out the Cardinals 8-0 to take the regular season series. Natty Solomon had himself a night with a double, homerun, and three RBIs. Adam Riggleman (2-0) pitched six innings for the Bruins, striking out five and giving up only three hits. 

Coaches on the mound lead the way for Clover Hill as the Bucks defeat Elkton 5-2 at Stonewall Memorial Field. Kevin Tysinger gets credited for the win and Justin Getz goes more than four innings with no hits, one walk, and six strikeouts for Clover Hill.

Another long outing for Justin Showalter wasn’t enough for Bridgewater to outlast New Market. The Shockers defeated the Reds 6-1 with help in part from Ty Bennett who had a momentum-shifting RBI double for New Market.

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