MOREHEAD, Ky. - Thanks to strong pitching and a late offensive outburst, the Gold Team took a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five Morehead State baseball "Blood Bowl" World Series, winning 9-2 in a fog-shortened eight inning game Monday. The series is being played during the next week at Allen Field. The losing team will donate blood to the Kentucky Blood Center.
The team held a draft to select the two teams.
Trey Smith looked strong on the mound for the Gold squad, pitching four innings and only allowing one run with nine strikeouts. Jake Helvey, Noah Smallwood and Kyle Williams combined to toss the final four frames, allowing just one run. On offense, the Gold Team totaled nine runs on nine hits.
“This is the most fun part of the fall. I was very happy with the energy and competitiveness from both clubs. I felt both teams hung on every pitch. The two-strike put-away pitches from both team’s pitchers were very impressive. It was the best execution from our staff in those situations that I have seen since we have been here," said coach Jay Sorg.
The Gold team belted three home runs, including a two-run smash from Ryan Connor. Michael Fear and Austin Haney also lifted long balls out of the park. Taylor Davis and Travis Redmon each connected on two hits and drove in an RBI apiece.
Josh Schneider pitched for the Blue team, and after allowing three first-inning runs, he settled in and recorded five strikeouts in four innings. Eric Bainer and Cole Cleveland tallied two hits each as the Blue team had seven hits in the game. Kellen Begeman walked twice and scored both runs.
The Blue team only trailed 3-1 heading into the sixth, but the Gold team erupted for six runs in their final three at-bats.
Each game has a little something in reward for the winners. By virtue of their loss, the Blue team will now have to participate in a zumba class while the Gold team watches.
Game two is set for Wednesday at 5 p.m. The remainder of the schedule is set for Friday at 4 p.m., Monday at 5 p.m. and next Wednesday at 5 p.m. The games are open to the public and free.
