MIDDLETOWN — Clear Lake wiped out a 6-0 Middletown lead with a seven-run fourth inning, but the Mustangs battled back not once but twice to beat the Cardinals 10-9 in a non-league varsity baseball game Thursday afternoon at Wes Martin Field.
The seesaw contest was ultimately decided by Conner Chick”s RBI single with one out in the bottom of the sixth inning. The grounder into the hole at shortstop didn”t leave the infield but it was hit well enough to score Andy Garcia, who had singled leading off the inning, from third base.
Eric Schenck retired the first two batters he faced in the top of the seventh before Tanner Mansell doubled down the left-field line. But Schenck, working his fourth inning in relief of starter Saul Preciado, got the next Clear Lake batter to ground out to second base to end the game.
“We responded,” Middletown coach Mitch Tucker of the Mustangs rallying from 7-6 and 9-7 deficits after blowing a 6-0 lead. “I”ve got to give my guys a lot of credit. We grew up a lot today.”
The Mustangs (3-1) broke open a scoreless game by scoring six times in the bottom of the third against Clear Lake starter Chad Elliston. But the Cardinals (2-2) came right back with seven runs in the top of the fourth against Preciado, who didn”t retire a batter in the inning.
Middletown knotted the score at 7 on a clutch two-out single by Bryan Holt in the bottom of the fourth.
Both teams added two runs in the fifth. Trailing 9-7, Middletown once again tied it on a two-run double by Kyle Brown.
Chick finished 2-for-4 for Middletown with two RBIs. Steven Edwards and Jaime Lopez each had two hits and a RBI for Clear Lake.
Schenck allowed six hits and two runs while picking up the win in relief of Preciado. He struck out two and walked one.
“Schenck did a great job,” Tucker said.
