Tiger Cubs win opening game of rain-shortened tournament

Monday, May 18, 2009
Greencastle's Jesse Vermillion attempts to beat out the throw to Link Lovins in Saturday's Putnam County Tournament game.

GREENCASTLE -- Greencastle pitcher Jesse Vermillion was outstanding Saturday in the opening game of the Putnam County Classic, limiting Cloverdale to four hits in a 7-1 victory on the Tiger Cubs' field.

Vermillion retired 17 straight Clovers after giving up an infield single with one out in the first inning. The sophomore right-hander struck out nine and did not walk a batter. Cloverdale's seventh-inning run was unearned. Three of the Clovers' four singles didn't leave the infield.

"He (Vermillion) pitched real well," Greencastle coach Troy Remsburg said. "His curve was working well and his placement was really good. That's his first win this season and his fifth game. He should be 3-2."

Vermillion also played solid defensively. He had five assists, making a couple of nice plays on a bunt and a hard-hit comebacker, and a putout.

The Tiger Cubs (4-15) supported Vermillion with a 14-hit attack and committed only one error.

Greencastle second baseman Trey Ford went 3-for-4 with a double, triple, an RBI and two runs scored. Teammates Kyle Nobles had a run-producing double and scored one run, Keegan Remsburg went 2-of-3 with a double and an RBI, Pat Richardson went 2-of-4 with an RBI and two stolen bases, Graham Shuee went 2-of-4 with a run scored, Justin Bartrum went 2-of-3 with an RBI, a walk, two stolen bases and a run scored, Vermillion had a single and a run scored and Kyle Johnson went 1-of-3 with a run scored.

Coach Remsburg said the Tiger Cubs snapped a "pretty big" losing streak.

"We needed it (win)," he said. "We still didn't hit like we can. We had lots of bloopers and bunts. We played small ball."

Cloverdale (2-17) starting pitcher Josh Burdette was forced out of the game by a hard-hit line drive that hit him in the back of the head by the second batter he faced, Ford.

Burdette, a sophomore right-hander, was knocked down by the blow, which hit just below and behind the right ear. Burdette was able to walk off the field.

"After he was hit, he was talking OK," Cloverdale coach Bryan Archer said. "He had a knot on the back of his head and was bleeding. His parents took him to the hospital."

There have been no further reports of Burdette's condition.

Junior right-hander Jeff Dale replaced Burdette and went the final 6 2/3 innings. Dale kept the Clovers close, allowing only one run through the fourth inning. He struck out three and walked one.

"Jeff came in and did a great job for not being prepared to pitch," Archer said. "He pitched his heart out."

Archer wasn't happy with how the Clovers hit.

"He (Vermillion) did a great job putting the ball across the plate," Archer said. "He threw strikes. We don't have any excuses for having only four hits. We didn't hit the way we should have."

Cloverdale's hits were by Ethan Atwood, Frank Skiles, Cody Foreman and Kyle Martin.

Greencastle took a 1-0 lead in the second on Bartrum's single, stolen base and an RBI double by Remsburg.

The Tiger Cubs added three runs in the fifth. With one out, Ford had a bloop double to right. Nobles drove in Ford with a bloop double to left. Shuee singled to left, sending Nobles to third. Richardson's ground out scored Nobles. Bartrum drove in Shuee with a bloop single to center.

Greencastle scored three in the sixth. Vermillion led off with a bunt single. Johnson also had a bunt single and Vermillion scored on a throwing error on the play. Ford drove in Johnson with a triple to right and scored on a passed ball.

As the field was being prepared for the second game between North Putnam and South Putnam, rain began to fall and the game was postponed. When it and the championship game will be played has not been announced.

At Greencastle

Greencastle 010 033 0--7 14 1

Cloverdale 000 000 1--1 4 2

Vermillion and Johnson; Josh Burdette, J. Dale (1) and B. Dale.

WP -- Vermillion

LP -- J. Dale