Brewer downs Broncs Daniels posts strong outing

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HAMPDEN – Chase Daniels may not have had the look of a dominant pitcher early in Monday night’s Class A baseball game at Bordick Park.

But when he left with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, he also left behind an effective performance that lifted Brewer to a 10-1 win over Hampden Academy.

The junior righthander escaped bases-loaded jams in the first and third innings, then allowed just one more runner past first base until Witches closer Prentiss Swett came on to get the final out after Daniels’ pitch count reached 97.

“Chase was establishing his fastball inside, and I think they thought it wasn’t a strike, but he hit the corner quite a few times,” said Brewer coach David Morris. “And I think any time you get a three- or four-run lead you feel more comfortable out there, and our offense did a good job of getting some runs for him and allowing him to feel a little more comfortable.”

Daniels yielded just four singles while striking out six, walking four and hitting a batter in helping Brewer improve its record to 4-0.

The Witches managed just six hits but capitalized on 11 walks and three hit batsmen to keep the pressure on Hampden starter Brennan Perry and reliever Jacob Moore.

“Our guys at the plate did a great job of being relaxed and striking the fastball and making sure they laid off the curve when it wasn’t a strike,” said Morris.

An RBI single by Greg Higgins and a sacrifice fly by Jon Thoms after walks to Daniels and Swett gave Brewer a 2-0 first-inning lead.

Thoms’ fly to shallow right-center led to a collision between Hampden second baseman Ryan McCluskey and right fielder Mike Mourkas that resulted in a 30-minute delay after Mourkas was kneed in the head while sliding in an attempt to make the catch.

Mourkas was taken to a local hospital but returned before the game ended after being diagnosed with a concussion.

Daniels pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the bottom of the first with an infield pop-out and a strikeout, and Brewer then stretched the lead to 4-0 in the top of the second on a sacrifice fly by Shun Sasaki and an RBI single to center by White.

Hampden (3-1) scored its lone run in the bottom of the inning. Brad Dolan reached on catcher’s interference, stole second and then scored on a throwing error as he was stealing third base.

The Broncos loaded the bases again in the third, but Daniels escaped thanks to a key defensive play by second baseman Kyle O’Connell.

Cody Miller hit a soft grounder between first and second that drew the attention of both O’Connell and first baseman Swett. When O’Connell fielded the spinning grounder, no one was covering first, but he reacted just quickly enough to force out Hampden’s Caleb Kirk at second to end the inning.

“I got the ball and I initially was going to throw it to first, but I saw Prentiss was next to me and then I heard Caleb [Smith] at shortstop yell ‘two,’ so I just threw it to second,” said O’Connell. “It wasn’t hit hard at all, it had a lot of spin on it, but it was hard enough so I had time to make a play.”

Brewer’s lead grew to 5-1 in the fifth as Swett drew a one-out walk, went to second on an infield hit by Higgins and scored on a sharp single up the middle by Thoms.

The Witches added five runs in the top of the seventh, with Swett lining a bases-loaded, opposite-field triple down the right field line to key the rally.

Hampden’s Shawn Smith was the game’s lone repeat hitter with singles in the third and fifth innings.

WITCHES 10, BRONCOS 1

Brewer (4-0) Hampden Acad. (3-1)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

White, lf 3 1 1 1 Turner, ss 2 0 0

Daniels, p 2 2 0 0 McCluskey, 2b 2 0 0

Helfen, 1b 0 0 0 0 Kelsey, ph 1 0 0

Swett, 1b 3 3 1 3 Smith, cf 4 0 0

Higgins, dh 2 0 2 1 Tardiff, 1b 3 0 0

O’Connell, 2b 0 0 0 0 Stephens, c 2 0

Thoms, c 4 0 1 2 Kirk, dh 2 0 0

Kotredes, 3b 3 0 0 0 R. Lindemann, lf 0 0

Smith, ss 4 1 1 0 Miller, 3b 3 0 0

Bissell, rf 2 2 0 0 Perry, p 2 0 0

Sasaki, cf 1 1 0 1 Moore, p 1 0 0

Mourkas, rf 0 0 0 0

Dolan, rf 2 1 0 0

Totals 24 10 6 8 Totals 24 1 4 0

Brewer 220 010 5 – 10

Hampden Acad. 010 000 0 – 1

E-Thoms 3, Smith; LOB-Brewer 10, Hampden 8; 3B-Swett; S-Daniels; SF-Thoms, Sasaki; SB-Smith, Sasaki; Dolan 2

Brewer IP H R ER BB SO

Daniels (W, 1-0) 6 2/3 4 1 0 4 6

Swett 1/3 0 0 0 0 1

Hampden Acad. IP H R ER BB SO

Perry (L, 1-1) 5 5 5 5 5 4

Moore 2 1 5 5 6 2

HBP-Kotredess (by Perry), White (by Moore), Bissell (by Moore); Kirk (by Daniels); WP-Moore 3, Perry 2; T-2:35; ATT-125