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Clovers beat Union Dugger in Saturday double-header
CLOVERDALE -- Whether it was the end of a long week or an early morning start, Cloverdale's baseball squad could not seem to get out of first gear in either game against Union (Dugger) Saturday.
Once the hosts awakened from their early slumber, though, the Clover offense scorched Bulldog pitching to the tune of 17 runs, winning both games of the doubleheader, 12-8 and 5-2.
The slow starts were a concern for Cloverdale head coach Bryan Archer, one that he took upon himself to fix.
"That's my job to get these guys ready to play each game," Archer said. "Whether they had all their players or eight players they weren't ready to play. We got a wake-up call in the first inning of each game."
Game one got off to a rocky start for the hosts and starter Duke Duff after Union scored three runs in the first inning, two of which came off an error that could have limited the damage to one run.
Cloverdale's offense got two runs back in the bottom of the inning, chaining together a pair of hits for Tyler Carter to drive in with a double.
Carter, though, was picked off trying to steal home that ended the inning with the Clovers trailing 3-2.
The Bulldogs continued to lay siege to Duff, scoring five more runs in the second off the freshman hurler before Archer called in Kade Schroer to finish the inning.
"I thought Duke was throwing well," Archer said about his opener. "He was throwing strikes and getting ground balls but we weren't making plays in the field."
Schroer not only finished the inning but finished the game, restricting the visitors to three singles and four walks while striking out eight.
Trailing 8-2 by the time the bottom of the third inning rolled around, Cloverdale seemed to be lost in a fog but Archer said the squad seemed to refocus after Schroer's introduction.
"Kade's been doing well all year," Archer said. "He's been a great addition to our pitching staff this year. He comes in, throws strikes and gets out.
"Once he came in when we were down six, the guys realized there was a lot of game left. We talked about not panicking or freaking out but to do what we've done all year and take the right approach to things."
Union lent a helping hand in getting the Clovers back into the game. What should have been the second out in the inning instead turned into the start of a rally once Andrew Howard reached base on a dropped strike three and throwing error.
A walk to Brayden White and a single for Carter loaded the bases for Duff who reached after and error by Bulldog pitcher Jarett Todd, resulting in a run coming home.
Jacob Roach continued the inning with a single that drove in two runs to cut the Clover deficit to 8-5. Todd then hit Joseph Martin and walked the next batter, loading the bases for Robert Buskirk.
Buskirk smoked a shot straight to third, only for the fielder to drop the catch. The drop, however, resulted in a wild double play that ended the inning and could have sucked the life straight back out of the hosts.
Instead, Cloverdale came back with four more runs in the fourth to take a 10-8 lead. Schroer led off with a single, Howard doubled and White doubled both men in to score the opening runs.
Carter walked to put two men on and after back-to-back outs, Martin hammered a double that brought the pair in to give the Clovers their first lead in the game.
While Schroer continued to control the Union offense, the hosts added a pair of insurances runs in the sixth inning and it was Martin again who doubled in a pair of runs to secure the lead and the win.
It might have been easier to think that the slow start was the biggest issue in the game but Archer took a more pragmatic view of the comeback victory.
"I thought that was a good thing," Archer said. "When we get into tournament or county play, sometimes you have to win from being down and hold offenses.
"Looking back on it now, it was a good situation for us. The defense had to step up and make plays. The pitching had to be solid. At the plate, we had to have the right approach to get the job done."
After a half hour break, the two teams resumed with a caveat that due to an injury from the first game and two departures between games, Union was forced to play with eight outfield players.
That did little to dampen the Bulldogs as they took a 1-0 lead in the first inning off a Todd double.
The hosts would not get on the board until the third inning when Howard singled in Buskirk to nod the game at 1-1, only to run himself into a double play that would end the inning.
Cloverdale was alive again, however, and scored four runs in the fourth inning to take a commanding 5-1 lead.
Two walks and a throwing error allowed the Clovers to load the bases. Duff scored on a passed ball before Schroer doubled in a pair.
Howard was hit by a pitch before Buskirk was caught stealing home. White was hit by a pitch soon thereafter and Carter walked to score the final run of the inning.
With a secure lead, Buskirk, who started the second game, settled down and Archer commended his hurler's efforts.
"Robert pitched a great game for us," Archer said. "He mixed up his pitches well and threw strikes. The defense made plays behind him and once the bats got going, he was comfortable on the mound."
The lead would stand until the top of the seventh.
Union loaded the bases and though they missed the first opportunity to score, managed to push across a run on an Anthony Ellis single.
As many times as the Clovers had been caught in bad base running predicaments, though, it seemed fitting that the game ended when White picked off Todd at third base to end the game with the bases still loaded.
Though it was a tense ending, Archer said the Clovers buckled down when they needed to.
"Robert got a little tired at the end but with the bases loaded, we needed him to get ground balls and get one out, maybe even two," Archer said. "He did a great job of bearing down at the end for us."
Cloverdale will take a break from the conference schedule with a trip to South Vermillion on Monday and Eminence arriving on Tuesday.
Archer was very specific on what needed to happen for the Clovers to be in the game Monday and Tuesday night.
"We have to be ready from the first pitch to the last pitch," Archer said. "It's a long game but we have to be focused for however long the game is.
"We have to give everything we have from the first pitch to the last pitch. We have to be focused on getting the job done. That's all it is."
At Cloverdale Game 1
Un 260 000 0 -- 8 11 3
CD 204 402 X -- 12 11 2
WP -- Schroer
LP -- Todd
2B -- Snead (U); Carter, Howard, White, Martin (CL)
At Cloverdale Game 2
Un 100 000 1 -- 2 5 4
CD 001 400 X -- 5 5 1
WP -- Buskirk
LP -- Figg
2B -- Todd (U); White (2), Schroer (CL)
Next Game: Cloverdale travels to South Vermillion Monday.