Bartley Dazzles in Miles' Win Over Kentucky State
Box Score It has been so long since the Miles baseball team has played a ball game, head coach
Kenneth Hatcher said it almost felt as if his team was starting the season over. If that were the case, the Golden Bears gave their coach a heck of a new beginning.
Miles pitcher
Justin Bartley (1-2) scattered seven hits and struck out seven in going the distance for a 3-0 win over Kentucky State Saturday afternoon at Rickwood Field.While the win was actually the third straight for the Golden Bears (4-8, 1-0) but the first in three weeks, as weather postponements had kept the team off the field since Feb. 14. The Thorobreds (1-2, 0-1) have had a mulittude of games shelved because of the weather as well and struggled to come through in several clutch situations.
KSU had a runner reach third base in five different innings but Bartley was able to work out of trouble each time. The biggest threats came in the fifth, when the Thorobreds loaded the bases with two outs, and the seventh, when they put a runner on third with one out. Each time, Bartley was able to retire Justin Stinson to stem the tide. On the day, KSU left nine runners on base.
The Golden Bears have not exactly been an offensive juggernaut this season but they came through when it mattered most on Saturday. Miles gave Bartley all the offense he needed in the fourth inning. Tristan Davis led off with a double and Aaron Williams followed that with a single to plate Davis for a 1-0 lead. In the seventh, Miles added some insurance. With the bases loaded and one out, Tyler Sampson hit a sharp grounder to second that had double-play ball written all over it. But KSU second baseman Kyle Clark threw wide of the bag at second and the ball went into left field, scoring pinch runner
James Gardner and Xavier Burden for a 3-0 advantage.
Thorobreds pitcher Kodie Girton (0-1) pitched well, allowing just four hits and two earned runs while striking out six in the loss. Marshall Howard and Lazaro Sosa-Gonzales each had three hits for KSU, which will play a doubleheader against Miles on Sunday beginning at 11 a.m.
