Hartwell, big bats lift Rockets

Left-handed Burlington Central pitcher David Hartwell adjusted after allowing 2 opposite-field home runs to Hampshire, and the Whip-Purs did themselves no favors with sloppy glovework in Tuesday's Big Northern East rivalry baseball game in Burlington.

The Rockets scored a run in the fifth inning to tie the game 4-4, helped greatly by 3 Hampshire errors. In the sixth, Central capitalized on Hampshire's fourth error, which opened the floodgates for a 5-run outburst and an eventual 9-4 victory for the Rockets (10-5, 3-0).

"Those were seniors making those errors," Hampshire coach Steve Ream said. "They should be able to play better than that. I'm just disappointed that, as seniors, they're not making the kind of routine plays they need to make against good competition."

Hartwell (2-2) was staked to a 3-0 lead in the first inning, thanks to a line drive to center field off the bat of sophomore Nick Hahn, which was misplayed into a 2-run triple. Junior Jeff Ehlers followed with a run-scoring sacrifice fly.

However, Hampshire (12-9, 3-2) struck back with windblown longballs to right field. In the second inning, Joe Moore drew a two-out walk and Tyler Bentley followed with a high-arcing, opposite-field home run on an outside fastball that trimmed the deficit to 3-2.

Hampshire senior Matt Kuefner tied the game 3-3 in the fourth inning, when he stroked another outside pitch from Hartwell for a solo shot into the jet stream to right. Hartwell lost the lead when he walked 2 Whip-Purs in the fourth and allowed an RBI single to Zach Crinigan. However, the senior pitcher held Hampshire in check for the final 2 innings.

"They were hitting regular flyballs, and they were going over (the fence)," Hartwell said. "So I said, 'You know what? I've got to change something.' So I just went inside, and I shut them down for the rest of the game."

Central's Sam Klein drew a walk from Ryan Burke (2-1) to lead off the fifth inning, and he reached third base on a groundball that slipped between the legs of the Hampshire second baseman. Klein scored on a passed ball to tie the game 4-4.

Central junior Zack Romando's bloop single on a catchable flyball to left-center field scored Bill Rodriquez with the go-ahead run in the sixth. "I saw it come off the end of the bat," Romando said. "Luckily, the wind took it and it got the job done."

Freshman Tanner Scott then provided insurance with a 3-run blast to right field, and catcher Austin Jarvis followed with a solo shot to left to put the game out of reach.