06/06/2007

Beach Bums skid reaches five games

Kings continue mastery of TC

BY JEFF PEEK

jpeek@record-eagle.com

Click here for more photos from this game

Record-Eagle/Tyler Sipe
Traverse City Beach Bums first baseman Brad Vericker waits for the throw on a pickoff attempt against Kalamazoo Kings' Joe Ramos during Tuesday's game at Wuerfel Park.

TRAVERSE CITY — Another close game, another loss for the Traverse City Beach Bums.

The Bums, home for a short two-game series against Kalamazoo that is sandwiched between a pair of six-game road trips, came up short for the fifth straight game on Tuesday night, 5-3.

After battling back to even its record at 4-4, Traverse City has lost those five consecutive games by a total of seven runs.

"I don't know why the baseball gods are upset with me,” joked manager Jon Cahill. "I'm sorry for whatever I did.”

The loss dropped the Bums to 1-4 against the Kings this season.

"None of us is happy with what's going on,” said relief pitcher Dan Hawkins. "It's frustrating, to say the least.”

Kalamazoo (7-6) roughed up starting pitcher Steve Shippey for five runs and nine hits in 3&1/3 innings on a chilly night in front of 4,811 fans at Wuerfel Park.

The Kings ran at every opportunity and had six steals on the night.

"We're not throwing anybody out,” Cahill said. "They did the same thing to us in Kalamazoo and the same thing the last time we were here. Why stop?”

On the bright side, the Beach Bums bullpen turned in a stellar performance, as the trio of Phil Tognetti, Hawkins and Brett Bostelman allowed only three hits and struck out eight in 5&2/3 scoreless innings.

Hawkins, who entered the game with a 33.75 earned-run average, set down all six hitters he faced, striking out three and lowering his ERA to 13.50.

Bostelman fanned four in two innings.

"I went out with a little more confidence tonight,” Hawkins said. "I was more aggressive. If I hung a slider, I came right back with another slider for a strike.”

The Beach Bums took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on Sam Orr's double down the right field line and an RBI single to right by Zack Kalter.

Kalamazoo answered with three runs in the top of the third on consecutive hits by Aaron Bulkley (double), Joe Ramos and Jeff Grose and a one-out double by Keith Brachold.

The Kings added two more runs — and knocked Shippey out of the game — in the fourth. Ramos had the big hit, a triple that scored Josh Mader, then cruised home on a sacrifice fly by Grose to make it 5-1.

Traverse City scored a run without a hit in the seventh, but the Bums came close to scoring a lot more — possibly even tying the game. After Orr flew out to the fence in right, Jeff Long walked Kalter and J.T. Thomas before being pulled. Incoming reliever Dan Caldwell struck out Justin Holmes, then walked Jeff Brown to load the bases, bringing Brad Vericker to the plate.

Vericker worked the count to 3-2 before crushing a fastball to right that easily cleared the fence near the 320-foot mark but curved foul. He walked on the next pitch to force in a run to make it 5-2, but Caldwell struck out Ledbetter to end the threat.

Long, the only Kalamazoo starter with an earned-run average below 5.00, earned the victory to improve to 3-0.

Ledbetter had two of Traverse City's five hits and has had multiple hits in four of his last five games.

Justin Holmes singled off Kalamazoo closer John Sullivan with two outs in the ninth to extend his hitting streak to seven games. After taking second on "defensive indifference,” he scampered home on a single by Jeff Brown to cut the deficit to 5-3.

Vericker followed with his fourth walk of the night, but Sullivan struck out R.C. Dickerson to end it. It was Dickerson's first professional at-bat.

"We had our opportunities,” Cahill said. "We need to find someone to hit behind Brad who scares people. Right now, we don't have anyone.”

Takeshi Yamamoto also saw action for the first time after being activated from the injured list and popped out to first base in the eighth as a pinch hitter. Yamamoto took the roster spot vacated by rookie pitcher Craig Brookes, who asked for his release to participate in pre-draft workouts for Major League Baseball affiliated teams.

Kyle Kmiecik had three hits to pace Kalamazoo. Ramos and Brachold added two hits each.

The teams play again tonight at 7:05 at Wuerfel Park. Robbie McClellan (1-0) will pitch for Traverse City; Scott Fogelson (1-1) will take the mound for Kalamazoo.