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Burlington Central downs Prairie Ridge

Line drives are so overrated!

Burlington Central didn’t hit many Thursday, but enough bouncers and rollers found holes to propel the Rockets to a 4-2 nonconference victory over Prairie Ridge on Rocket Hill.

Dan Gerke went the distance on the mound, allowing just 6 hits. Leadoff man Mike Lee and No. 9 hitter Drew Wiss each had 2 hits for the Rockets (16-9).

“Some days the balls you hit just find a hole and sometimes they don’t, and today the balls we hit found a hole,” said Rockets coach Kyle Nelson. “They play a good brand of baseball and it was just one of those days for us where things we hit fell in and things they hit didn’t.”

After the Wolves took an early 1-0 lead, Central went ahead without a hit at all. Mike Scott led off the fourth by reaching on an error. Cody Schuver walked and everyone was safe when losing pitcher Danny Burris’s throw on Alex Bell’s bunt sailed wide of first base, scoring Scott. A second run scored when Josh Lung hit into a force play.

The Rockets added single runs in the fifth and sixth. In the former inning, Wiss and Lee grounded singles through the infield. Despite a nifty third-to-first double play started by the Wolves’ Will Harvel, the Rockets ended up scoring when Bryan Cynova’s grounder got past shortstop Danny Pecoraro.

One inning later, pinch-hitter Reed Hunnicutt singled, advanced on a balk, and scored on Wiss’ grounder over second base.

The Wolves doubled their hit total in the seventh inning with 3 singles, but could only score once. Gerke retired appropriately named first-baseman Matt Furst for the final out.

Gerke walked 1, struck out 5 and hit a pair of batters.

“He’s got four pitches he’s throwing for strikes,” said Nelson. “He’s able to put them where he wants when he wants. The last couple outings he’s been real good for us. He’s been one of our main guys all year.”

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