MIDDLETOWN — The Middletown Mustangs rallied from four runs down to tie it, but the Cloverdale Eagles erupted for seven runs in the top of the seventh inning to win 15-8 in a non-league varsity baseball game on Tuesday at Wes Martin Field in Middletown.
Middletown”s defense had a miserable game with six errors, including a two-out miscue in the top of the second that led to five unearned Cloverdale runs.
“That inning was a nightmare that should have ended with that play,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker said of a dropped popup with two outs.
Cloverdale scored its first run of the game on that play and went on to add four more for a 5-3 lead.
“We had just taken a 3-0 lead, so that was a big blow,” Tucker said.
The Mustangs (1-4) tallied three times in the bottom of the first against Cloverdale starter Brandon Southard, including a two-run home run to straightaway center field by Dan Sallee (2-for-5, 2 RBIs).
It was 5-4 going to the top of the fourth when Cloverdale”s Robbie Rowland launched a three-run home run to make it 8-4. Middletown answered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to knot the score. John Hays singled home the first run of the inning, Eric Schenk added a sacrifice fly, and Bryan Holt”s clutch two-out, two-run single made it 8-8.
The Mustangs left the potential go-ahead run at second base in the bottom of the sixth and Cloverdale then broke the game open in the seventh against reliever Ryan Johnson, the second of three Middletown pitchers.
“We played horrible defense and there”s no way around it,” Tucker said. “You make six errors and it doesn”t matter who is pitching. And we have a good defense, that”s the frustrating part.”
Southard worked all seven innings for Cloverdale and was rewarded with the victory. He struck out five and walked five. Rowland (2-for-3) drove in five of the Eagles” runs. Allen Silva doubled twice and knocked in three others.
For Middletown, Kyle Har-myk went 3-for-4 with a double, a RBI and two runs scored, and Hays went 3-for-5 with a double and RBI. Sallee and Holt added two hits and two RBIs apiece.
