Yellow Jackets maintain focus

By DAN CLENDANIEL For the News & Messenger
Published: April 11, 2008

Osbourn Park had just defeated Osbourn in impressive fashion, 5-0, but Yellow Jacket head coach Rod Hodgson expressed words of caution to his team in the post-game huddle in right field under the lights.

“I told the guys we’ve proved nothing,” said Hodgson. “I’ve had teams down this road before. We’re focusing on our next game, which is against Fauquier on Tuesday. We’re halfway there. When we get to our 20th game, then we can talk (about accomplishments).”

In their 10th game of the year in a game that symbolically brought the first half of the season to an close, the Yellow Jackets improved to 9-1 overall and 4-0 in the Cedar Run District.

The Yellow Jackets got a strong pitching performance from starter Steven Carper and reliever Nick Walker while committing no errors in the field.

The Yellow Jackets stranded 10 baserunners but got enough offense to score the only runs of the game while banging out 10 hits against Cory Turner, who suffered his first loss of the season.
Osbourn dropped to 4-3 overall as well as 1-3 in the district.

The Eagles had baserunners in each of the first six innings but stranded eleven runners on the base paths.

The first inning proved costly for the Eagles as they allowed a bizarre run.

With two outs, OP’s Nate White struck out with teammate Josh Swerchak on third base.

But the pitch hit the dirt, forcing Osbourn catcher Devon Snow to make the putout at first base.

White beat the late throw, however, and Swerchak trotted home with the gift run.

“I think he (Snow) thought the ball was fouled,” Osbourn coach Keith Howell said of Snow’s hesitation. “He was waiting for the umpire to call it foul and the call never came. It looked like we would get out of that inning but we fell behind.”

Yellow Jacket starting pitcher Carper lasted nearly six innings, allowed no runs and improved his record to 4-1.

Carper, at 5-8 and 140 pounds, strikes a less than imposing figure on the mound, but the diminutive lefty senior used his breaking pitches to set up his fast ball and keep the Eagles from scoring.

“The early lead helped,’ said Carper, who struck out five. “After that, it was a matter of focus and not worrying about the baserunners. I try to keep the batters off-balance with my pitch selection.”

Carper appreciated the effort of Walker, who provided relief in a bases-loaded situation in the sixth inning and got a strike out to end the inning.

“His stuff was completely nasty,” said Carper of Walker, a hard-thrower whose style was in complete contrast to the breaking-ball specialist Carper.