Outlaws pound Hawkeyes

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July 12, 2012

Outlaws pound Hawkeyes

By Greg Klein Contributing Writer The Daily Star Thu Jul 12, 2012, 09:45 AM EDT

ONEONTA _ Zach Lucas' parents picked the perfect game to see their son play in the Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League for the Oneonta Outlaws.

Doug and Tammy Lucas made the 750 mile, 12-plus hour drive from Louisville, Ky., in time to see Oneonta's shortstop go 3-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and make 10 plays in the field. The soon-to-be sophomore at Louisville had seven assists and three put outs as the Outlaws continued their domination of visiting Cooperstown with a 13-1 victory at Damaschke Field.

The Outlaws now lead the Mayor's Cup series, 5-1, and can clinch the inaugural title next week. Cooperstown hosts Oneonta at 5 p.m Tuesday, and the Outlaws host the Hawkeyes at 7 p.m. next Thursday.

"Of course, it is great," Lucas said of his parents seeing him play well. "It is an awful long way to drive if they didn't see me perform."

Oneonta head coach Greg Zackrison said he has been stressing infield defense to his players.

"We have been taking extra balls on defense, and it looks like it paid off," he said. "A lot of those balls he got were not routine plays."

Lucas made six 6-3 assists on groundballs, caught a line drive and a pop fly in shallow center, and helped turn a 4-6-3 double play.

Oneonta starting pitcher Taylor Hicks (1-3) earned his first win of the season, pitching 7 2/3 innings. He gave up eight hits, allowing one run.

"Hicks really cut down on his walks tonight," Zackrison said. "He's always tough to hit, but he limited his walks tonight and that paid off for him."

The right-hander walked three and hit one.

Cody Cooper (1-5) took the loss for Cooperstown, giving up nine runs in five innings. Although the Hawkeyes did commit three errors, all 13 of Oneonta's runs were earned. The Outlaws sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth inning, followed by nine in the sixth inning. They hit four doubles and two triples.

The Outlaws took the lead with a three-run first inning. With one out, Orlando Rivera singled to right. Shane Crain hit an infield single to third, and Zac Johnson walked to load the bases. Cody Hough hit a long sacrifice fly to center field to score Rivera as Crain advanced to third. Lucas then singled to center field to score Crain. Zander Wiel followed with an RBI single to left.

Oneonta scored again in the fourth inning when Forrest Johnson singled to left field and scored on Cory Hunt's bloop double to right. Hawkeyes right fielder Bobby Guerra, a recent addition to the team, failed to get Hunt's shallow fly near the line.

Guerra and the Hawkeyes had a worse fifth inning as Oneonta used six straight hits to score five runs. With one out, Crain dropped a bloop double to almost the same spot in right. Zac Johnson then hit a triple over Guerra to score Crain. Hough hit a double to right that Guerra couldn't run down to score Johnson.

Lucas followed with a single to right to put runners at the corners. Wiel's single to left scored Hough, and then Forrest Johnson singled to center to score Lucas and Wiel and make it 9-0.

The Outlaws duplicated their feat in the sixth, again getting six consecutive hits, off of Cooperstown reliever Eric Gregory.

With one out, Hough singled to left before Lucas doubled down the left-field line. Both runners scored on Wiel's triple to center. Forrest Johnson singled to left field to score Wiel. Hunt blooped a single to left and Heath Holder singled to right to load the bases. Sutton Whiting then hit a sacrifice fly to center field to score Johnson for a 13-0 lead.

Cooperstown got its run in the eighth inning. Steven Kandborg led off with a single and then scored on Jacob Hubert's double to left field. Hubert was thrown out trying to stretch his hit into a triple. Cooperstown then loaded the bases, but Colter Bostick came on in relief of Hicks to get the third out. Bostick also pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Oneonta (16-13) won its fourth straight game and is now in second place in the PGCBL _ 7.5 games behind first-place Amsterdam. The Outlaws host the Mohawks at 7 p.m. Saturday, when attendance is free courtesy of CSEA.

The Outlaws are at Newark tonight. Last place Cooperstown (9-21), which last lost seven straight, hosts Albany at 5 today Doubleday Field.

Oneonta 13, Cooperstown 1

Cooperstown     000 000 010 _ 1 8 3

Oneonta     300 154 00x _ 13 19 1

Cody Cooper (L,1-5), Eric Gregory (6), Bradley Vanderglas (8) and Patrick Hyde. Taylor Hicks (W.1-3), Colter Bostick (8) and Forrest Johnson. 2B -- Shane Crain (O), Cory Hunt (O), Cody Hough (O), Zach Lucas (O), Jacob Hubert (C). 3B -- Zac Johnson (O), Zander Wiel (O).

Oneonta 8, Elmira 5

Tuesday's game

Elmira     001 110 200 _ 5 12 1

Oneonta     210 112 10X _ 8 12 4

John Melville (L,1-4), Brad Bellinger (6) and Spencer Brann. Sheldon Lee (W,4-1), Jeremy Rhoades (7), Clay Bates (8,S) and Shane Crain. 2B -- Zac Bellinger (E); Orlando Rivera (O). 3B -- Steven Patterson (E).