SAGINAW ARTHUR HILL - Apr. 2, 2007 - If there was one thing that cost the Ogemaw Heights baseball team last year, it was periods of sloppy defense that led to opposing teams scoring far too many unearned runs.
That sloppiness reared its ugly head again on Monday as the Falcons committed 13 errors in two games at Arthur hill, allowing eight unearned runs to score. The result was a split with the Lumberjacks, losing the opener 9-4 and winning the nightcap 8-5.
"Kyle Wangler pitched well enough to win Game 1," said Ogemaw coach Jeremiah Peace. "The second inning was a nightmare; we must have strung together about four misplays that cost us five runs after giving up two unearned runs in the first."
Rick Dodridge's two-run home run gave the Falcons a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but Arthur Hill came back to take a 7-3 lead with the Falcons' help after two innings. Ogemaw was unable to make up ground against Arthur Hill ace Mike Schaaf, who struck out 13.
Wangler pitched a complete game in the loss, allowing five earned runs on three walks and eight hits while striking out seven.
"We had a lot of late swings," Peace said.
The Falcons bounced back with another strong first inning in the second game, taking a 5-0 lead. One more bad inning -- the third, this time -- led to three unearned Arthur Hill runs.
Anthony Betancourt earned the win on the mound, allowing one earned run on six hits and no walks while striking out three. Matt Faiman earned the save while striking out five over the last two innings.Ryan Bragg had two hits and three RBIs to lead the offense. The Falcons also stole 15 bases in the game,including five in the first; Wangler, Michael Noffsinger and Scott Kimball led the Falcons with three apiece.
"Betancourt threw well," Peace said. "He mixed in all four pitches and had very good command. He really had to do a lot more work than he should have."
"We were fortunate to come out with a win."
Ogemaw (3-1) was scheduled to play Mt. Morris on April 3, but bad weather forced the game to be postponed.
