Miscues Cost Giants Chance At An Upset

BLAIRSVILLE--The Bentley Giants were in a giving mood Monday and National City of Punxsutawney gladly accepted their hosts' freebies, leaving with a 9-0 win.

Bentley actually outhit the visitors, but gave up the farm with six walks and six errors, not including baserunning mistakes.

Hard-throwing Stu White went the distance pitching for NC while Bentley's Matt Strope also went the distance in taking the loss.

Actually it would have been an upset if the Giants had won, as National came into the game at 14-4 to Blairsville's 8-12, but the visitors jumped out early and never looked back.

Strope came out ice cold and stiff in the first inning. He walked the first batter (who stole second), and a single and another walk loaded the bases.

A grounder off third baseman Zack Sabella's glove scored two, and a wild pitch moved the runners up. Two ground ball outs each drove in a run before Strope got the third out on a strikeout.

Trailing 4-0 after just half an inning, Steve Wilk lashed the first pitch he saw for a single, but was gunned down trying to steal.

Strope was now warmed up and pitched well the rest of the game, striking out seven, while Bentley seemed to be on the verge of a big inning in the bottom of the second.

Nathan Blakely worked White for a walk after being in an 0-2 hole; then with two out Jared Henigin walked, and Sabella singled--which should have loaded the bases.

But Blakely tried to score and was nailed at the plate by a mile to end the inning.

NC scored its fifth run in the third on a two-out double steal, while Bentley got two more on base via walks in the home half of the third, only to see White get the last two outs.

Strope got two quick outs in the fourth but served up a fat pitch to No. 9 hitter Robbie Fisher, who drilled a solo homer to left, 6-0.

Two errors gave NC a seventh run in the fifth, 7-0. Bentley wasted a runner again in their half of the inning on a botched hit and run.

Sabella had singled and was running on an Adam Highberger ground out, but tried to reach third and was caught.

Steve Wilk hit a book-rule double but was stranded by a groundout, ending Bentley's last good scoring chance.

Strope would have taken NC in order in the sixth, save for a shortstop error, but Wilk shook it off and made the next putout to end the inning.

Bentley put in all its reserves in the seventh, and National City picked up two more runs on two errors, a double, wild pitch and walk.

Sabella had a two-out single in the home seventh, the last of five Giants hits, but Bentley couldn't get a run on the scoreboard.