Burlington Central blasts past Hampshire
The Burlington Central baseball team unleashed it’s best offensive performance of the season in a 15-8 nonconference victory over rival Hampshire on Rocket Hill Monday.
The Rockets took advantage of a depleted Hampshire pitching staff whose top two pitchers have been limited of late due to soreness. They attacked with 13 hits, including 2 doubles, a triple and a pair of solo home runs.
The victory improved Central to 14-6. Hampshire, playing its third straight game without coach John Sarna due to illness, slipped to 7-11-1.
“Last year we lost to them, so we had to come out and prove our point that we’re a dominant team,” said Central junior Blake Alexander, who went 2-for-3 with a walk, a home run and 4 RBI.
The Rockets took a 6-run lead in the first inning on 3 hits, 3 walks by Hampshire starting pitcher Jeremy Gogoel (0-1) and 2 errors. Michael Scott delivered the key hit, a 2-run double with the bases loaded.
Leading 6-1 in the second inning, Central extended its advantage to 8-1 on home runs by Tanner Scott and Alexander. Tanner Scott, Central’s all-time home run leader, blasted his eighth of the season and 35th in four years.
“He tried throwing me inside, and that’s where I like it,” said Tanner Scott, whose foul ball earlier in the at-bat also had home run distance. “With the wind blowing out you don’t necessarily try to hit it out, but it does change your approach because it doesn’t happen often out here.”
The Whip-Purs hardly threw in the towel. After Michael Dumoulin relieved Gogoel and got out of the inning, Hampshire scored twice in the third inning, once in the fourth inning and 3 times in the controversial fifth inning.
The controversy arose with Central leading 8-6. Hampshire had already scored twice in the inning and had Michael Laramie on third base with no outs. Hampshire assistant coach Steve Knapp signaled for the suicide squeeze with Daniel Guerrero at the plate, but he did not offer at a high, inside breaking ball.
Laramie was thus caught in a rundown between third and home plate, and eventually collided with Central catcher Tanner Scott. A Central assistant coach was ejected for being on the field while arguing. The umpires then conferred and ruled Laramie did not try to avoid the collision, even though Scott was standing in the baseline. Laramie was called out and automatically ejected.
The Whips nevertheless managed to draw within 8-7 when Jacob Kuhn followed with his first home run of the season off Central starting pitcher Zach Ranney.
“This has always been a rivalry for us, so we just wanted to stay in there with them,” Kuhn said.
However, Ranney escaped further damage by inducing a groundout with runners at first and third. He went on to earn his fifth win of the season without a loss, helped by his teammates’ immediate response.
Central scored 7 times in the fifth inning to put the game away. Ranney was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to drive in a run, Riley Jensen, Tanner Scott, Michael Scott and Clem Acitelli each notched run-scoring singles, and Alexander poked a 2-run single.
“Our guys did a good job after some of that stuff happened of just focusing, playing baseball and taking quality at-bats,” Rockets coach Kyle Nelson said. “It was good to see.”
The Whip-Purs didn’t have a second comeback in them. Pitcher Kevin Zasada finished off the seventh victory in 8 outings for the Rockets, who resume Big Northern East play at North Boone today at 4:30 p.m.
Hampshire will attempt to snap an 8-game skid against visiting Cary-Grove in a Fox Valley Conference crossover today at 4:30 p.m.