By By TOM NYHUIS / Niles Daily Star
BRIDGMAN – After a thunderstorm suspended play of Tuesday's Division 3 pre-district baseball game, Brandywine and Buchanan, took the field picking up play in the fourth inning with the Bucks leading 1-0.
When it was over it was the favored Bobcats on the short end of the score as the Bucks scored three runs in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie and take a 5-2 victory.
"We didn't finish very well," Bobcat coach Dave Sidenbender said following the season ending loss. "We didn't play our best baseball at the right time. That's what you kind of hope to do no matter what kind of year you have. You hope you are playing your best at the end and we just weren't."
Both pitchers who started the game on Tuesday, Tyler Knisely for the Bucks and Taylor Ort for the Bobcats, continued to battle the opposition from the hill on Wednesday going the distance.
Buchanan struck for their second run in the bottom of the fourth to give the Bucks a 2-0 lead over the No. 2 state ranked Bobcats. Brandywine answered with a pair of runs to tie the game at two in the sixth.
A squeeze bunt plated the first run and a RBI single by Kyle King with two outs knotted the game at two.
"This was a very big win, a happy Buchanan coach Joe Racht said. "We knew we could do it if Tyler Knisely could pitch the game the way he is capable of pitching we could score enough runs for him to win. We knew they had great pitching and great hitters but if we played a clean game we figured a few runs would win it for us."
Buchanan responded to the Bobcats' comeback with a three run rally of their own. With one out in the bottom of the sixth, a double by Evan Cauffman and a run scoring triple by David Sokolowski put the Bucks back on top.
Buchanan added two more insurance runs in the inning on a single by Brandon Jackson and scored their third run on a wild pitch by Ort.
"Our team had no doubts about coming back as they came right out the next inning with three runs. They left no doubt about it," Racht said.
In the top of the seventh, Knisely walked the first batter of the inning. A fielder's choice and a sacrifice gave the 'Cats a runner at second with two out with Dominique Pompey at the plate. Pompey grounded out to Buchanan third baseman Dalton Shearer who made the toss to first for the final out sending the Bucks to the semifinals on Saturday and ending the Bobcats season 27-5. "This isn't the way you want to end it. It was just tough down the stretch for whatever reason. A lot of things didn't go right there at the end. Health and other things that kind of hurt us a little bit," Sidenbender stated.
Buchanan, which has won 10 of their last 12 games, will take a 21-12 record into Saturday's game with Bridgman.
"We're on a roll right now," Racht added.
The Bucks will play at 10 a.m.
Brandywine 000 002 0 – 2 4 1
Buchanan 100 103 x – 5 7 0
WP – Tyler Knisely
LP – Taylor Ort
2B: Evan Cauffman (BU)
3B: David Sokolowski (BU)