By Mark Carpenter
People’s Defender
It was an odd line score that came out of Tuesday night’s Southern Hills Athletic Conference baseball battle at Manchester as the Greyhounds hosted the Peebles Indians. The two teams combined to score 11 runs on just a combined four hits with pitchers on both sides totaling 17 walks. It was the Greyhounds taking a 4-0 lead into the sixth inning with starting pitcher Leland Horner tossing a no-hitter, but then the scene changed quickly scored three times in the top of the sixth without the benefit of a hit, then score three more in the top of the seventh with their only two hits of the game to pull out a come-from-behind 6-5 win.
Peebles head coach Kenny Dick gave right hander Ethan Beekman the starting nod and the Greyhounds got to him for single runs in the first, third, fourth and fifth. The first Manchester run came when Traevyn Hilderbrand walked and later scored on a Luke Applegate sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the third, Hilderbrand again drew a walk and this time scored when the throw to home was late on a Drew Kennedy ground ball to shortstop. The Hounds made it 3-0 in the bottom of the fourth when Landon Doyle led off the inning with a walk and later raced home on a Beekman wild pitch.
The Manchester lead extended to four runs in the bottom of the fifth when Kennedy doubled to center and scored later in the frame on a Peebles error.
The Indians finally got on the board in the top of the sixth, scoring three times after Horner walked the bases loaded. The first two runs came scored on a Beekman ground out to shortstop as on the play both Zane Porter and Gage Grooms hustled across the plate. With two outs, Horner was called for a balk that sent Nathaniel Cummings home to make it a one-run game.
Manchester got one of those runs back in the bottom of the sixth off of Peebles reliever Bradley Shoemaker, another score without the benefit of a base hit. The speedy Connor Darnell reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch to make it 5-3.
With the no-no still intact and reliever Aaron Lucas on the mound for the Hounds, Cory Reed led off the top of the seventh for Peebles by drawing a walk. Gage Grooms followed with a single to left, the first Indians’ hit of the contest. moving Reed to second. A sacrifice bunt by Mason Sims advanced both runners and Porter was intentionally walked to fill the bases.
Cummings was the next hitter and he tied the game, lacing a double to right center that scored Reed and Grooms. Beekman followed with a sacrifice fly to score Porter and give the Tribe their first lead of the game. Lucas got Garrett Shiveley to ground back to the mound to end the inning, but the damage had been done.
Needing just a single run ti keep the game alive, the Hounds came to bat against Shoemaker in the bottom of the seventh and the Peebles right hander was up to the task, getting Horner, Doyle and Parker Hayslip on ground balls to Sims at short and the Indians wrapped up a solid come-from-behind conference win.
Shoemaker got the win in relief for the Indians, while Lucas was tagged with the loss for the Hounds.
The win improved Peebles to 8-4 on the season (6-4 SHAC) with Manchester dropping to 5-10 (3-8).
(Update: The Greyhounds hosted North Adams on Wednesday in conference play and fell 7-2 to the Green Devils, leaving them at 5-11 (3-9) overall.)