The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Hornets sweep double-header from Northville
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 19, 2007
In the biggest game so far of Saline's young baseball season, it made sense that the biggest play came at the plate.
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With one out and the Hornets trailing 3-1 in the top of the fifth inning Tuesday to visiting Northville, rightfielder Aaron Nagy caught a long fly ball, fired home, and gunned down a Mustang runner attempting to tag from third.
The Saline dugout erupted, and the fired-up Hornets would go on to rally for a 7-3 win in that half of a doubleheader and a 3-1 win in the second.
"If they score right there, it's 4-1, maybe they go on to score some more in the inning, it's a different game," said head coach Scott Thiesen afterward. "We'd been hitting the ball pretty well, but hadn't been able to string anything together. Maybe that gave us a little bit more desire, got us a little more focused at the plate. It was a big play."
The victories over Northville took Saline's record over to 4-2 after three doubleheaders in their first week of action. The Hornets had already split with visiting Clinton Township-Chippewa Valley the previous Thursday, losing the opener 8-6 and winning the second half 3-2. Saturday saw Saline split another pair, dropping a tight 2-1 extra-inning decision to Fenton before rebounding to thump the Tigers 6-3.
But the highlight of the week was the victories over Northville. Vinnie Haynes earned the win in Game 1, allowing three runs over six innings, while Jeff Baublit picked up the win in Game 2 after allowing one run in four. Jon Endicott pitched a total of three scoreless innings to post a save in each game.
"I think our pitching was more consistent," Thiesen said of the difference between the Northville sweep and the earlier splits. "We did a better job of throwing strikes and staying ahead in the count. And defensively, we made plays when we had to."
Northville took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third of Game 1, but Casey Dishman answered with an RBI double in the bottom half on the inning to cut the lead to 2-1.
The Mustangs looked ready to blow the game open in the top of the fifth after loading the bases with no outs. A fielder's choice scored the third run, and then Nagy's throw changed the complexion of the game.
Derek Fairchild led off the bottom of the fifth with a single, followed by another Dishman double and a walk to Tim Finkbeiener to load the bases. A wild pitch scored Fairchild, and following a walk a second wild pitch scored Dishman to tie the game. With two outs and runners on second and third, Northville threw home on a infield grounder, catching Finkbeiner in a run-down. But the throw back towards third sailed and Finkebeiner came home with what would prove to be the winning run.
Saline would go on to add another run on a perfectly-executed squeeze play by Nick Poloni and two more in the sixth. Haynes and Endicott combined to retire the last seven Northville batters of the game (with helpfrom solid defensive plays by Fairchild, catcher Brad Guenther, and outfielder Steven Breneman) for the four-run victory.
In Game 2, the Hornets get all the runs they would need in the bottom of the first. Nagy's two-out single to center with the bases loaded scored Spencer Didion and Fairchild for a quick 2-0 lead.
The Mustangs pulled one back in the second, but Baublit and Endicott combined to allow just one hit over the last four innings before the game was called after six on account of darkness.
"Of the three, this was the best team we've played," Thiesen said. "Hopefully our guys have learned that we can beat good teams, and especially good pitching, that they're in control of whether they win the game or not. They're finding out exactly what they can do."
Staff Writer Jerry Hinnen can be reached at 429-7380 or at jhinnen@heritage.com.
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