Tabor Bluejays off to bumpy start in league play
By RYAN RICHTER
Sports writer
Four games into conference play, things aren't going quite like they could be for the Bluejays.
Blame that on missed opportunities.
There's no denying Tabor can hit the ball. Bringing guys around has been a different story, though.
Ten runners left on base Saturday afternoon in the opener ruined Tabor's chances at a sweep of the Friends Falcons in Hillsboro.
The Bluejays dropped a disputable 8-7 game to start the day before outlasting the Falcons in the finale, 9-4.
The split leaves Tabor at 13-13 on the season and 1-3 in KCAC action.
First games haven't been fantastic for the Bluejays, and Saturday's was the same old story with Tyler McKim having the opener break loose on him.
The Falcons jumped out to a 4-0 lead off a pair of hits in the second inning.
By the time the early game was in the books, Friends had racked up eight runs from five hits with half of them earned.
Heading into the bottom of the fourth inning, Tabor was in an 8-1 hole.
Nick Green cut the lead in half, 8-4, going deep for a three-run two-out shot to right field.
Casey Hillman and Jeremy Ball got Tabor to within two in the bottom of the fifth on a pair of RBI singles. Hillman ended the opener 3-for-4, Kevin Peterson was 2-of-4 while Chance Miles and Ball each went 2-for-3.
McKim lasted four innings, giving way to Josh LeTourneau in the fifth and closer Layne Frick in the top half of the seventh.
The Bluejays made it exciting when they were down to their final three outs as Peterson led off with a single.
Down to its final out, Tabor pulled to within one with Josh Craig's two-out bases loaded single.
Expect to hear the Bluejays grumbling about their final out for some time.
Facing a 3-2 pitch, Tyson Bauerle was beaned.
Hampered by questionable calls all day, Tabor's chances at coming from behind ended as the umpire ruled Bauerle did it intentionally.
Bluejay starter Scott Wolf dodged a bullet to start the finale after he gave up a leadoff triple.
Falcon starter Jason Stewart's miserable two and one-thirds inning game started the bottom of the second, spotting Tabor a 1-0 lead off a free pass.
Friends tied the game in the third with Aaron Leichen singling in a run.
If Stewart hadn't been roughed up enough already, the Bluejays really did it in the bottom half of the third, rallying for four runs.
With the bases chucked and one out, Bauerle singled in the go-ahead run to put Tabor in front for good.
Craig knocked Stewart out after he gave up another run-scoring single.
Casey Cooper drove in a run before Green's sacrifice fly capped off the inning's outburst.
Friends would pull to 5-2 in the top of the fifth with a solo home run, but never really threatened again.
Tabor broke the game wide open in the bottom of the fifth as Friends loaded up the bases again.
Grant Brubacher's sacrifice fly stretched the lead to 6-2 with Peterson on deck and two outs.
Going 3-for-4 in the nightcap, Peterson made it a 9-2 game with a three-run blast.
Wolf picked up the win, firing a four hitter in six innings.
The Bluejays dropped a pair three days earlier in Ottawa with the Braves winning 9-5 and 6-5, respectively.
Up next for Tabor is today's makeup game from Tuesday's rain-out against the Bethany Swedes in Hillsboro at 4 p.m.
Tabor then hosts Sterling Saturday in a 1 p.m. start.
