By MATT PIKE
A run of bad luck for the Savannah Savages ended on Wednesday afternoon at Hyde Park, as the Savages used an eight run fourth inning to fuel a 12-1 run rule victory in five innings, snapping a three game losing skid.
After a four game winning streak near the beginning of April, the Savages went into a mini slump, losing games against Oak Grove, Maryville, and Faith Christian Academy. In the losses against Oak Grove and Maryville, Savannah had 14 plus baserunners, and managed just three runs in each game. And against Faith Christian Academy, a top ranked, currently undefeated team in Class 2, had 11 baserunners and fell 14-6.
But, after the Cardinals went up 1-0 in the first inning, that bad luck ended in the fourth as the Savages scored eight runs, and then put the game away in the fifth inning adding four more runs. Head coach Erich Bodenhausen says a win like this is a big deal.
"We haven't played very well the last three games and it seems like when the defense is working the offense is not, when the offense is working the defense is not, and you know sometimes we get good pitches, sometimes we don't," Bodenhausen tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post. "But I feel like we're a good team and we're capable of winning a lot of games, but we just have to put it all together."
Benton's lone run in the first inning came as Zaidyn Woodward grounded out to score Porter McCarthy. That run held until the fourth inning, when Savannah scored eight runs, the first coming on an error by Cardinals third baseman Kooper Gresham, allowing Mason Waitkoss to score and tie up the game.
The Savages took the lead on an RBI double from Mehki Moore, driving in Jake Bodenhausen before a single by Jackson Dudeck extended the lead scoring Dalton Schultz. Benton finally got the first out of the inning as Boston Cook struck out Chase Fields, but promptly gave up another run on an RBI single to Chase Brown that drove in Moore. Eli Bodenhausen reloaded the bases, and Savannah continued the scoring barrage, after Brown was picked off at second base, a double from Jagger Jackson scoring two runs, bringing home Dudeck and Bodenhausen for a 6-1 lead.
The bases again ended up loaded after a walk to Waitkoss and a single by Jake Bodenhausen, and the Savages scored their final two runs of the inning on a two RBI single by Schultz, driving in Waitkoss and Jackson for the 8-1 lead. Erich Bodenhausen says the way things went right in that eight run inning, was just putting the ball in play.
"Which we haven't done a great job of, we got some guys on base early and they made a few mistakes and it just started rolling, that's just kind of how baseball goes sometimes, it's happened to us quite a bit," Bodenhausen says.
Savannah added four more runs in the fifth to secure the run rule victory. An RBI single from Brown scored Andrew Hatfield for the first run of the inning, then with two outs and two runners on, after a single from Jackson, Waitkoss hit a three run home run to left field. Savannah starter Braylon Ellis did put one baserunner on in the bottom of the fifth, hitting Titan Helfrey with a pitch, but retired the next three batters to end the game.
Ellis was the winning pitcher, throwing a complete five inning game giving up two hits and one run, walking one and striking out seven. At the plate, of the Savages 14 hits, Jackson led the way going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Waitkoss was 1-for-2 with two walks, a home run, and three RBI's also scoring three runs.
For Benton, Cook took the loss, throwing four innings and giving up 11 hits and eight runs, just three earned, striking out five and walking two. McCarthy was 1-for-3 with a leadoff triple and a run. Xander Tiller had the only other Cardinals hit, going 1-for-2 with a double.
Up next for Savannah and Benton, they both head into the WOW Wood Bat Tournament, starting Friday, and then after that tournament go into the Pony Express Tournament, starting Monday. Bodenhausen says as long as they get to play, those are big games for them.
"I think baseball is something that you've just got to keep playing, we have six games this week, three games next week, and so that's the biggest deal," Bodenhausen says. "Hopefully we won't have any rainouts and we'll be able to keep this thing rolling."
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt.