In an entertaining game Friday in Greenville, the Gladiators and the visiting Panthers see-sawed back and forth several times before a three-run top of the fifth put the Panthers ahead to stay. As usual, the wind was kicking up on the hill and it seemed to impact the game considerably as fly balls were sometimes held up in the wind or misjudged. Also we saw an inordinate number of passed balls and hit-by-pitch, so the breezes may have contributed to those as well.
Each starting pitcher (Jakob King---got the name right this time! for Riverheads--and Page's number 3) walked the first batter he faced and each eventually came around to score as the first inning ended at 1-1. After a three up/three down top of the second, Riverheads then scored a pair of runs, helped along by a balk, to move ahead 3-1.
Page tied it at 3-3 in the third, only to see Riverheads re-take the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the same frame. Braeson Fulton replaced King to start the fourth and set the Panthers down quickly in his first inning, But Page got to him in the fifth, plating three runs to take the lead for good.
Riverheads did not go quietly however, as Bradley Roberts led off the home half of the sixth with a single down the left field line that was mishandled just enough to allow him to take second. He would eventually come around to score to close the gap to 6-5 but the Gladiators then frustratingly left the tying run stranded at third.
Page then added a pair of insurance runs in the top half of the 7th, helped along by the wind which caused what ordinarily would have been a routine fly to die in front of the fielder. The Gladiators then went quietly in the bottom of the 7th.
The loss drops Riverheads to 3-3 in district play with a crucial stretch coming up next week. They host Stuarts Draft on Tuesday and then due to a weather postponement, will host district-leading East Rock on Wednesday and then travel Friday to play those same Eagles in Elkton.
With today's win, I believe Page is in second at the moment. Nice group of Panther fans made the trip today and next door their softball team pounded the Lady Gladiators, but of course Page has ruled softball in the Shenandoah for quite some time now.
Each starting pitcher (Jakob King---got the name right this time! for Riverheads--and Page's number 3) walked the first batter he faced and each eventually came around to score as the first inning ended at 1-1. After a three up/three down top of the second, Riverheads then scored a pair of runs, helped along by a balk, to move ahead 3-1.
Page tied it at 3-3 in the third, only to see Riverheads re-take the lead 4-3 in the bottom of the same frame. Braeson Fulton replaced King to start the fourth and set the Panthers down quickly in his first inning, But Page got to him in the fifth, plating three runs to take the lead for good.
Riverheads did not go quietly however, as Bradley Roberts led off the home half of the sixth with a single down the left field line that was mishandled just enough to allow him to take second. He would eventually come around to score to close the gap to 6-5 but the Gladiators then frustratingly left the tying run stranded at third.
Page then added a pair of insurance runs in the top half of the 7th, helped along by the wind which caused what ordinarily would have been a routine fly to die in front of the fielder. The Gladiators then went quietly in the bottom of the 7th.
The loss drops Riverheads to 3-3 in district play with a crucial stretch coming up next week. They host Stuarts Draft on Tuesday and then due to a weather postponement, will host district-leading East Rock on Wednesday and then travel Friday to play those same Eagles in Elkton.
With today's win, I believe Page is in second at the moment. Nice group of Panther fans made the trip today and next door their softball team pounded the Lady Gladiators, but of course Page has ruled softball in the Shenandoah for quite some time now.
