It has been a rough season for the Mansfield St. Peter’s Spartans, but Friday afternoon showed Spartan flashes of potential even in a loss. The Spartans played host as the Norwalk St. Paul Flyers invaded Spartan Field.
The Spartans, who have just one senior in their line, had a rough start to the ball game. The visiting St. Paul Flyers piled up seven hits and capitalized on three errors to gain nine runs in the top of the first.
At the plate the Spartans went one for nine through the first three innings. The lone hit came on a Keaton Sanjur single that he tried to stretch into a double but was gunned down by the Flyer leftfielder. By the next time through the batting order, the Spartans had already spotted the Flyers 14 runs.
The top of the fourth seemed to help the Spartans catch a spark. They would blank the Flyers in their half after flashing some fancy leather. First, on what seemed to be a sure line drive base rip, Spartan second baseman Josh Bradshaw leaped up and snagged the liner out of the air. Even he appeared surprised at as he smiled from ear to ear to the cheers. On the very next play, junior shortstop Nick Bishop snow-coned a line drive on a fully extended diving effort to record the second out. Senior pitcher Danny Rice struck out the very next batter and the Spartans would come to the plate with some confidence.
Junior Chris Marek started off the two out rally with a double to right center. Saniur would come to bat next and collect his second hit of the day on a deep shot to left center that would give him an easy stand up double and an RBI. Junior Nick Bishop scorched a liner to center and ended up on second on a throw to the plate and tallied a double and RBI of his own. The rally ended on a ground out to the short stop.
The Spartans would also make things interesting in the home half of the fifth inning as freshman Christopher Dillion drew a walk to start off the inning, and junior Jacob Nester reached on an error. After a strike out to record out number one, Bradshaw roped a sharp single to center to bring home Dillion. Rice flied out to the pitcher on the next pitch to give the Flyers two outs in the inning. Marek advanced the runners on a single to left to load the bases for the red-hot bat of Sanjur who had already collected two hits on the game. But, he would not see a single pitch, as the Flyers would catch Bradshaw napping on second to pick him off to end the game under the run rule and stop the Spartans comeback attempt. The Spartans would fall 16-3.
St. Peter’s remain winless on the season, but will try to break that streak tomorrow against Loudonville in a double header at Spartan field starting at 11 a.m.
