Osbourn Eagles Defeat Battlefield in District Tournament

The bottom of the seventh inning was looking grim for the as they took on Battlefield Thursday evening.  They were leading 6-2, but the bases were loaded. They’d gone through two pitchers – Matt Wright, who’d started the inning with a ground out and then walked the next hitter, Derek Evans.

His replacement, Chris West, gave up two walks and hit Chris Wendle’s helmet, giving the Battlefield Bobcats a walk-on run. West was replaced by Brandon Corbin, who threw three balls past Dillon Porterfield before striking him out.

The visiting Osbourn audience let out a sigh of relief when a ball hit by Bobcat Nate Abel led to the game’s final ground out, winning the Cedar Run District Tournament for Osbourn, which came in second in the district during the regular season.

Osbourn and Battlefield previously faced off two weeks ago, with the Bobcats winning 10-6.            

“Anytime we play Battlefield they bring their best,” Osbourn head coach Keith Howell said. “We didn’t play well consistently during the season.”

Eagles’ pitcher Matt Wright struck out six hitters between the fourth and six innings, and allowed only one hit and one walk. He got off  to a rougher start in the first two innings, with three walks.

“I struggled a little bit getting zoned,” Wright said. “I had to see what the umpire would and wouldn’t give me.”

Wright allowed three hits the entire game, and was responsible for two RBIs, one in the third and one in the sixth.

“I’m excited [about those]; that got me motivated,” Wright said after the game.

Outfielder Brandon Withers grounded a ball to the pitcher in the second inning, letting centerfielder Cody Jewell score from third base. Designated hitter Shawn Schultz singled, bringing first baseman Brendan Howell home in third inning.

Howell singled in the fourth and brought shortstop Drew Walters home from fourth, and Withers knocked in the Eagles’ final run in the fifth.

The Bobcats got off to a good start defensively: starting pitcher Nate Abel had only two hits and struck out four in the first two innings, but was replaced with John Williams, who gave up five runs and nine hits until he was removed in the seventh.

Battlefield Bobcats head coach Jay Burkhart said their main problem in the game was their offense.

“We didn’t get that quality hit that we really needed,” Burkhart said after the game. “We came out a little flat.”

None of Battlefield’s runs were from hits – their first run came from a stolen home base, which was prompted by a bad throw to second by Osbourn. The second run was scored in the sixth inning when Wendle’s helmet was hit while the bases were loaded.

The Bobcats are still going to Regionals, having clinched a spot when they placed first in Cedar Run District’s regular season standings. Burkhart said it was important for the team not to get discouraged.

“I told the guys ‘this is our bad game,’” Burkhart said. “We didn’t compete as well as we should have. Tomorrow will be important – we have to have a good practice and stay loose.” 

Editor's note: Battlefield coach's name  originally incorrectly attributed. Please note a change has been made.