Tiger Cub baseball falls 6-3 to Monrovia

GREENCASTLE -- Greencastle had Monrovia starting pitcher Jeremy Gray in trouble early Monday.

Nataniel Velasquez blasted a three-run home run to left field with two outs in the second inning. Landon Miller followed with a long double to the centerfield fence, and Gray hit Andy Bell with a pitch.

Gray got out of the jam by getting Tanner Battin on an infield ground out.

But in the final five innings, the Tiger Cubs had only one hit -- a bloop single leading off the third inning by Keegan Remsburg -- off Gray, who went the distance to carry Monrovia to a 6-3 victory in a West Central Conference baseball game on the Tiger Cubs' field.

Greencastle had two runners on base, from walks and a hit batter, in the fifth and seventh innings, but Gray prevented them from scoring with strikeouts. He had a total of 14.

"I don't have much to say. When you strike out 14 times, you're not going to win a game," Greencastle coach Troy Remsburg said.

Troy Remsburg was forced to cut short his interview by a post-game injury to starting first baseman Pat Richardson, who injured his knee running in the outfield. Remsburg described the injury as a "busted knee." Richardson was driven off the field by a John Deere Gator.

Greencastle (3-8, 3-4 WCC) had only four hits off Gray, who has emerged as Monrovia's best pitcher in the past two weeks. He's 3-1 as a starting pitcher and also has complete-game wins over South Putnam and Martinsville.

The Tiger Cubs had solid pitching from Jesse Vermillion and Keegan Remsburg, who combined to limit Monrovia (9-7, 4-3 WCC) to six hits. Starter Vermillion gave up five runs, four earned, on four hits, in four innings. He struck out three and walked five. Remsburg allowed one unearned run on two hits. He struck out five and walked two.

Velasquez' home run tied the game, 3-3. Monrovia took the lead with two in the fourth on a pair of walks, a double steal and Brady Zier's two-RBI single. The Bulldogs added a sixth run in the seventh.

Greencastle traveled to Monrovia on Tuesday.

At Greencastle

RBI: M-Zier 3, Benefiel, J.Gray; G-Velasquez 3.