By By STEVE MORRISON / Niles Daily Star
NILES – In junior varsity baseball action at Thomas Stadium Thursday evening, Coach Art Zache's Niles team posted a doubleheader sweep of the St. Joseph Bears.
The Vikings ran their season record to a commanding 13-1, scoring 14 runs on 12 hits in the twin bill. It proved to be just enough offense, as some clutch pitching enabled the Vikes to outlast their northern county rivals in two tight contests.
In the opener, David Garner picked up his fifth victory of the season for Niles. Garner was the key on offense, going 2-for-2 with a double and a homer while knocking in four runs.
Collecting a triple and a base hit, Rashad Harris was the only other Viking with two safeties. Aaron Davis, Aaron Brady, and Alex Bellaire also contributed singles for the junior Vikes.
Reliever Ricky Briand came on in the fourth inning, in relief of Garner, to preserve the win, as Niles held off the Bears to triumph 9-8. Derek Worley took the loss for the Bears.
The nightcap featured some stalwart pitching by St. Joe's starter Dan Matusak and his adversary, Niles starter, Tommy Flynn. Both went the distance, wiggling out of jams, to keep the score close.
As the Vikings began their at bat in the bottom of the fourth inning, St. Joe held a 3-1 lead. A ringing double by Garner of the base of the fence in dead center helped Niles to manufacture a 4-3 advantage. If the ball had gone to any other spot in the ball park, it would have been Garner's second dinger of the night. As it was Garner went 3-4, in official at bats, for the double header.
Niles loaded the bases with one out in the fifth on two singles and a walk, but Matusak got out of the situation with a strikeout and a grounder to third. Niles left ten base runners stranded during the second game.
Flynn pitched a solid sixth for Niles. In the bottom half of the frame, Garner got on, courtesy of a miscue by St. Joe's third baseman, taking second on the overthrow. After a wild pitch by Matusak moved Garner to third, a bloop single by Javier Smith gave Niles an insurance run, going into the seventh, up 5-3. Smith had two hits in the game.
Harry Caray used to say, "There's never a dull moment at the old ballpark." His words couldn't have described the situation in the top of the seventh any better.
The Bears' leadoff man, Worley, ripped Flynn's third pitch for a wicked twisting single to left. Will Carter followed with a shot up the middle to put the tying runs on first and second. A fielder's choice, second to first moved them up 90 feet. Flynn walked the next batter, and things were beginning to look murky.
Zache called for time and went to the mound to help settle Flynn, who induced a fly ball to center for the second out. The throw home sent Worley back to third. Flynn responded with a whiff of the next batter, on a called strike, to nail it down.
Next Niles hosts South Bend Riley for a double header on Saturday.