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BASEBALL: Mansker's gem helps Indians hold off Falcons

Posted April 02, 2012 11:00 pm

Doug Daniels

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Du Quoin nearly let a 6-0 lead slip away, but Austin Mansker made a leaping grab at third on Brian McClanahan's line drive with the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the seventh to save the Indians' 6-4 victory over Elverado on Saturday.

Du Quoin struck early with a four spot in the bottom of the first. Mansker drew a walk off of EHS starter Eli Fennell before Brenden Fred singled, then two straight errors on defense put the Falcons in a hole. John Boss would add a sacrifice fly in the inning for the Indians.

Camden Youngman and Travis Chapman each had RBI's in the fifth inning, and Du Quoin was in command with a 6-0 lead. Freshman right-hander A.J. Smith cruised through the first five innings, allowing just one hit, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out nine.

In the sixth, however, Bryce Mathis, Ethan Keller and Christian Kistner all singled to start the inning for the Falcons. McClanahan and Kistner both drove in runs in the inning as the Indians advantage shrank to 6-2.

Wade Bowlin reached via an error to lead off Elverado's seventh, and Fennell walked with one out before Jake Lipe was hit by a pitch from reliever Jon Boss. Mathis grounded out to bring in Bowlin, then Keller singled to drive in Fennell to make it 6-4.

Kistner singled with two down to bring up McClanahan who ripped a 2-0 pitch down the third base line where Mansker leaped up and snatched it from mid-air at the peak of his jump to end the game.

Youngman (2-2, R, 3 RBI), Chapman (2-3, R, 2B, RBI), Fred (1-3, R), Johan Spencer (1-3) and Camdon Mercier (1-3) all had hits for Du Quoin. Keller (2-3, BB, RBI), Kistner (2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI), Mathis (1-4, R, RBI), Fennell (1-2, HBP, R) and Troy Stewart (1-2, BB) each hit safely for Elverado.

A.J. Smith (1-0) pitched six-and-a-third innings, allowing two earned runs on five hits and two walks with eleven strikeouts. J. Boss relieved and went two-thirds of an inning and got the save.

Fennell took the loss for the Falcons, going six innings and allowing four hits and a walk, hitting one batter and striking out three.

Elverado (7-5) takes on Waltonville at SIU's Abe Martin Field on Monday while Du Quoin (3-3) is at Anna-Jonesboro.

<u>Falcons let lead slip away against Flora</u>

Immediately following their near-comeback against Du Quoin, Elverado was the team letting a big lead get away against Flora. The Falcons led big but ended up falling 13-11 despite a four-run lead in the seventh inning.

Keller (2-4, 2B, 2 RBI), Kistner (2-3, RBI), Stewart (2-5, RBI), Mathis (1-3, RBI) and McClanahan (1-3, RBI) all drove in runs for EHS against Flora.

<u>Elverado shuts out Cairo, Trinity</u>

Thursday and Friday saw the Falcons win in dominating fashion in home games against Cairo and Trinity as EHS picked up their sixth and seventh victories of 2012 with 23-0 and 8-0 triumphs.

Against the Pilots, Dalton Porter fired a five-inning no-hitter and walked just two batters while fanning eight and the Falcons' offense pounded out fifteen hits in the short-game win.

Keller (2-3, BB, HBP, 2 R, 3 RBI), Kistner (2-4, BB, GSHR, 5 RBI), Porter (2-3, 2 BB, 2B, 4 R) and Fennell (2-3, BB, 4 R) each had multi-hit games off Cairo pitching.

Friday's win over Trinity saw McClanahan take the hill and surrender just three hits and five walks in an eleven-strikeout victory for the EHS lefty.

The top five in the Falcons' order did all the damage on offense, with McClanahan's 3-for-4 (2B, R, RBI) day leading the way. Mathis (2-3, BB, 2B, 2 R, RBI), Keller (2-4, 2 R), Kistner (1-2, 2 BB, 3B, 2 R, RBI), and Stewart (1-3, BB, RBI) also had hits.

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