Reunited outfield stout in KRC loss
Posted on Tuesday, July 22, 2008
URL: http://www.nwanews.com/brog/Sports/62319/
ROGERS — Tony Anderson beamed with every long ball the Tahlequah, Okla., Bandits sailed into Rogers Kent Riley Chevy’s outfield here Monday in their American Legion baseball home finale, a 5-3 loss.
That’s because Matt Hamilton made his return to right field, center fielder Trey McKenzie kept up his “ Golden Glove ” season and Austin Reid continued to turn heads in left.
Among the three of them, they saved five runs from scoring, each with a spectacular catch in the first game of a non-conference doubleheader at Northwest Park.
“ I’ll tell you, ” Anderson said, three days before Rogers enters play in the Zone 1 District tourney, “ I feel good with those guys out there. ”
He said of McKenzie: “ He’s has been having a great season. He’s been working hard, very consistent every ball game. He’s just running everything down in the outfield, gives 110 percent all the time. ”
McKenzie scaled the fence to shag a boomer by hefty pinch hitter Josh Linn to the center-field wall, saving a run in the sixth.
“ I think he thrives on the hard catches, ” Anderson said. “ He really does. He always comes up with it. He gets a bead on it and he’s like a Golden Glove out there. ”
Hamilton, idled since fracturing a leg at a July 4 tournament at Bartlesville, Okla., made a lunging catch in right to save two runs in the second inning. He had another circus catch in the fifth inning.
“ He’s been playing steady ball all season for us, ” Anderson said. “ This is the first day he’s been able to come back. I was real happy the way he played out in right tonight. ”
Reid came up with an over-theshoulder snow-cone catch with the bases loaded in the fifth inning.
“ Real solid, ” Anderson said of his left fielder. “ He’s playing good, too. ”
Rogers (12-11 ) sent some inexperienced pitchers to the mound and three of them combined to issue nine walks in seven innings. Two were with the bases loaded.
The Bandits (26-11 ) also scored on Rogers’ only error of the game, a two-out, too-easy dribbler to second in the seventh inning.
“ We gave up way too many walks, too many freebies, ” Anderson said. “ Granted, young pitchers getting some work in are going to give up some walks.
“ But they started getting some confidence, started competing there at the end. I’m happy about that. ”
The Chevy Boys pulled within 4-3 in the fifth inning, putting six straight batters on base. Seth White, Charlie Skinner and Harrison Stanfill all had singles.
“ We gave them three runs and didn’t start hitting the ball until late in the ball game, ” Anderson said.
Skinner beat out two infield hits for the game.
The Zone 1 District Tournament begins Thursday at Fayetteville. Rogers is 4-4 in league play.
“ We feel pretty good about where we stand going in, ” the coach said. “ I think we’re seated third. Hopefully, we’ll get the bats going. We need to start hitting the ball again. ”