07/04/2006

Record-Eagle/Douglas Tesner
Traverse City starter Robbie McClellan picked up his third win of the season.

Bums take another from River City

Vericker has 3 hits in 6-3 win

By MARK URBAN

murban@record-eagle.com

TRAVERSE CITY — Each time River City put the outcome into question, Traverse City had an answer.

The Beach Bums never trailed on Monday night, improving to 14-3 at Wuerfel Park with a 6-3 victory over the River City Rascals.

"Usually when a team scores, you want to answer with one or two of your own," said Bums first baseman Brad Vericker, who banged out three hits in the game. "We did a pretty good job of that. When they made it interesting, we got a run or two."

A three-run fifth inning was the big blow for Traverse City in front of 5,532 fans — the second-most in Wuerfel Park history. The spectators not only saw the home team win, but Traverse City (24-13) take over the best record in the Frontier League after Washington scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to edge Chillicothe, 6-5.

TC put its first two hitters on base in the fifth as John Engers reached on an error and Justin Holmes followed with a double to right field.

Mike Reese drove in the first two runs with a single to left field. Then the fun really began.

Stephen Young dropped down a bunt single and Reese was able to take third base when no one covered the bag, just beating a dive from Rascals starting pitcher Brian Keating. Reese scored one batter later on a groundout by Vericker as the Bums led 5-3.

"That was some heads-up base running," Vericker said.

River City tallied on a walk, a single and a passed ball. But Jordan Thomson came on to get the final out of the inning after Doug Garcia tracked down Eddie Guessford's drive to deep center field.

Traverse City scored in the bottom of the eighth on a RBI double to left by Clay Blevins. That hit plated Garcia, who led off with a bloop single to extend his hitting streak to 13 games.

River City put two runners on in the ninth, but two were erased as Justin Holmes turned an unassisted double play.

"Our defense has been pretty good this season," said Bums manager Jeff Isom, taking time to knock on the wood table. "I hate to say that because tomorrow it'll be different, but Holmes makes a nice play in the ninth inning and Doug Garcia going back to make that catch on the warning track."

River City tied the contest at 2-2 in the fifth inning. Casey Bowling led off the fifth with his first professional hit, stole second base, took third on a flyout to center and scored on a sacrifice fly to left field by Anthony Slagle.

The Beach Bums took a 2-1 advantage with an unearned run in the fourth inning.

Vericker opened the inning with a single off the glove of River City first baseman Mike Madrid. Garcia drew a one-out walk to put runners on first and second.

Al Roach then hit a hot shot back up the middle. Rascals' shortstop Mike Cockrell made a nice diving stop and flipped it to second baseman Justin McKinley for the force on Garcia, but McKinley's throw to first went into the dugout for an error to score Vericker.

"If they walk a guy or make an error, we make them pay," Isom said. "We take advantage of those situations."

Each team scored in the eighth inning.

Traverse City showed its first-inning propensity yet again.

Vericker started the rally with a two-out double that got over the head of River City right fielder Eric Chevalier and off the wall. Nick Batkoski followed with a RBI single down the third-base line past a diving Guessford.

River City tied the score with a run in the top of the third inning after loading the bases with one out.

Eddie Gonzalez started the rally with a bloop single and Slagle followed with a soft single of his own. After a hit batter loaded the bases, McKinley drove in Gonzalez with a grounder to Holmes.

Robbie McClellan (3-2) picked up the pitching victory for Traverse City.