Fast start carries Miller's Plumbing to 7-1 win

By Marvin Birchfield
STAR STAFF
mbirchfield@starhq.com

   Miller's Plumbing flushed out a victory over B&R Construction on Tuesday night, scoring six runs in the first inning of a 7-1 decision.
   A fast start by Miller's in the first frame was too much for B&R to overcome after holding them to just one hit and run the remainder of the contest.
   "It was a solid effort from all the ball players, and we got a few hits when we needed them, but we're still trying to get our hitting worked out," said Miller's Plumbing manager Dale Colbaugh. "It's just taking a little longer than what we'd like it to."
   Miller's grabbed its first run in the bottom of the first, when Susie Loveday hit a ground-out to drive in Mikki Oliver.
   A shot to shallow center field from Amy Colbaugh brought home Amanda Harrell, and a double to deep left field by Jaclyn Campbell made it 3-0 in favor of Miller's.
   Walks and errors scored the next three runs, with Campbell, Lacey Oliver and Holly Grindstaff all crossing the plate.
   B&R elected to bring Ryann Musick to the mound in the second inning to replace Brittney Westberry, and place Megan Heaton behind the plate.
   "Our second pitcher is really good. She is fast and accurate, but our first pitcher is pretty accurate, too," said B & R Construction manager John Baumgardner. "It really helps when your pitcher and hind-catcher work together, for they know what the other one is going to do."
   Brittany Brown connected on a bunt for Miller's in the second frame, and managed to score after an attempted throw out to second base rolled into the outfield.
   Musick struck the next three batters out, as she didn't give up a hit the rest of the game.
   "I'm really proud of my girls tonight -- they worked together and played as a team," said Baumgardner.
   Oliver did a great job from the mound for Miller's by not allowing a hit all night.
   "Our pitcher, Lacey Oliver, had an awesome pitching performance, and it was a good, basic fundamental game," said Colbaugh.
   The one run scored by B&R was off a dropped infield fly, which allowed Emily Asher to come home.
   B&R tried to rally in the final frame of the night with a hard hit ball from Westberry, but a nice catch from Brown sealed the game with the third out.
   "I was really proud of our young kids for the defense they played, and Brittany Brown made a spectacular catch in the last inning on a well-hit ball," said Dale Colbaugh.
   David's Trophies 8
   Peters Concrete 5
   It was trouble for Peters Concrete at the mound in the second inning, but it was a gift of golden opportunity for David's Trophies in their 8-5 victory.
   "Tonight it was a team effort. Everybody played together, and our pitcher and catcher really helped pull everyone through, because that's what won it," said David's Trophies manager Bill McClay.
   Sallee Taylor was credited with the victory at the mound for David's Trophies, as she gave up no hits throughout the contest.
   Peter's grabbed the early advantage in the bottom of the first, when walks and errors scored Justine Jones, Nicole Cantrell and Duranda Byrd.
   The same kind of problems bit Peters Concrete as eight walks and two hit batters scored seven runs.
   "The pitching struggled, but the defense continues to be strong, and the only other thing we could have done was not to wait till the last minute to swing the bat," said Peters Concrete manager Deanna Jones. "It was a long weekend, but we'll be back."
   The first run crossed when a walk to Kasey Perry drove in Kayla Winters.
   Six more runs came to the plate, with the last one coming off a walk to Jacquelin Reece, that brought in Shanna Shamaradi scoring.
   A hit from Winters scored David's Trophies' last run in the top of the third, when a shot up the middle drove in Amber Langlois to make it an 8-3 game.
   "Our hitting was there tonight. We took them to the batting cage one day this week, and it seemed to help," said McClay.
   Peters closed within three runs in their final time at bat, after a passed ball allowed Jessica Lunsford to score, and a walk with bases loaded brought in Keisha Miller.
   Hats off to the umpire with his great job of calling behind the plate, as there was no controversial calls in either contest.
   Iron Mountain 14
   L & T Enterprises 13
   Iron Mountain rallied in the final inning to score a close victory of 14-13 over L&T Enterprises.
   Rebecca Luman, Chelsea Taylor and Emily Moody led Iron Mountain, while Lynsey Hicks, Brooke Westberry and Stephanie Reed were L&T Enterprises' key players.