Gamereport Heidelberg @ Erbach
The Hedgehogs traveled to Erbach this weekend to take on the 2nd place Grasshoppers. The Hedgehogs went home with 2 victories. The 1st one was 11-5 with the Hedgehogs winning going away. The 2nd game was much closer and not decided until the last inning with Hedgehogs coming from way down to win the game 15-14.
The first game matched the Hedgehogs’ Dave Cox against the Erbach ace A. Lerch. The 1st inning saw the Hedgehogs go down 1-2-3. Dave shut the Grasshoppers down a well. In the 2nd inning Luis Gonzalez started it off with a single. This brought Robert Wright to plate. He promptly went yard with a monster shot to left-center field. Singles by Patrick Schoppa, Robert Kane, and Dom Dorer brought in 2 more runs. Dave gave up 1 run in the bottom of the 2nd.
There was no action by either side in the 3rd. In the top of the 4th the Hedgehogs scored 3. After base on balls to Jeff Berks and Erik Braun, Dave Cox left the ballpark with a tremendous smash to left field. In the bottom of the 4th the Hedgehogs gave the 3 runs right back.
In the 5th inning there was once again no action for either side. In the 6th the Hedgehogs sealed the victory with a 4 run outburst featuring doubles by Gonzales, Wright and Kane sandwiched around single by Cox and a walk to Berks’. In the bottom of the 7th the Grasshoppers were able to push a run across the plate but that would not be enough to stop Dave Cox who notched his 5th victory of the season.
The 2nd game was much tougher than the 1st. The Hedgehogs were down by as much as 11 to 3 through the 4th inning. The 3 runs were scored in the 3rd on a single by Bastian Von Nettlebladt, Simon von Schwedler reached on a Hit by Pitch, and Patrick Schoppa and Jeff Berks doubled.
In the top of the 4th the Hedgehogs starting Pitcher Simon Von Schwedler was ejected after being hit twice by a pitch. The Home plate umpire felt that Von Schwedler had not made an attempt to avoid the ball each time. Von Schwedler had already reach base in the 1st and 3rd innings after being hit by a pitch. When Von Schwedler objected to the Umpire’s decision he got the early shower. Peter Schend then moved from Shortstop to the mound to begin the 4th.
The comeback started in the 5th when the Hedgehogs scored 7 runs sending 12 men to the plate. The inning featured singles by Schoppa, Berks, Gonzalez, Peter Schend, Von Nettlebladt and a booming double by Robert Wright. The Grasshoppers scored 2 in the bottom of the 5th to increase their lead to 3, 13-10.
In the top of the 6th the Hedgehogs scored 4 to take the lead. The big blow was a 2 run Homerun by Dave Cox, his 2nd of the day. The rally started with 2 outs when Erik Braun layed down a perfect bunt for single. Von Nettlebladt hit back to the Pitcher which he could not handle moving Braun to 3rd. The both scored on Leo Sellner’s single to left. When the left fielder bobbled the ball the speed von Nettlebladt came all the way around from 1st to score. Cox then hit his 2nd Homerun. At this point Hedgehogs lead 14-13. The Grasshoppers scored 1 in the bottom of the 6th to tie the game 14-14.
The Hedgehogs had only 1 hit in the 7th but it was Luis Gonzalez’s league leading 5th homerun. Peter Schend took the mound again in the 7th with a chance to pick up his 1st victory in the Regionaliga. The 1st batter lined out the 3rd baseman, Luis Gonzalez. Schend walked the next batter. Manager Les Green brought in the closer, Luis Gonzalez. With a 3-2 count on the next batter Gonzalez threw something nasty. When the batter swung and missed for the 2nd out, Von Nettlebladt threw out the runner at 1st who was trying to steal 2nd for the 3rd out and the Ballgame. The Sweep put the Hedgehogs up by 4 games in the race for the pennant. There is still plenty of season left but the Hedgehogs are definitely sitting in the Catbird’s seat.
J. Berks 3-6, 2 doubles 1 RBI, 3 runs scored
E. Braun 1-4, 2 runs scored
D. Cox, 4-6, 2 homeruns, 7 RBIs, 3 runs scored
L. Gonzalez, 3-8, 1 homerun, 1 double, 2 RBIs, 4 runs scored
R. Wright, 3-6, 1 homerun, 2 doubles, 6 RBIs, 2 runs scored
P. Schoppa, 4-9, 1 double, 1RBI, 3 runs scored
R. Kane, 2-4, 1 double, 2 runs scored
D. Dorer, 1-6, 1 RBI
L. Sellner, 2-4, 2 RBI, 2 runs scored
P. Schend, 2-4, 1 run scored
B. Von Nettlebladt, 3-4, 1 RBI, 3 runs scored