By Mark Schmerling

 

At the end of the regular season, it won’t matter that Polk County High School’s varsity baseball team couldn’t get it together in a non-conference loss to Chase on Wednesday, March 11.

 

After the Wolverines used three pitchers successfully in Monday’s 6-2 win at East Henderson, arms were tired.

 

“We signed up to play baseball,” coach Ty Stott said after Chase topped Polk, 18-4. “Our pitchers were not lined up. We’re limited on arms right now.”

 

J.D. Edwards got the start against Chase, but got into trouble in the first inning, in which the Trojans scored four runs. With the bases loaded, Chase used first a walk then a sacrifice fly to score its first two runs. An infield error, two hit batsmen later, and Chase had four runs before a fly out to center got the Wolverines to the plate.

 

Polk wasted no time chipping away at the visitors’ lead. Leadoff batter Brice Martin legged out an infield single. After Mark Mazzilli’s single and a throw to the infield, Polk had runners on second and third. With one down, clean-up hitter Morgan Groves rifled a grounder off the third baseman’s glove, scoring Martin. Mazzilli, who didn’t know if the ball would be fielded at third, held his ground. Dequan Gary grounded out, but Mazzilli, who’d stolen third, scored making it 4-2. Polk’s rally was cut short when Konner Scruggs’s bullet to left was caught.

 

In the top of the second Chase loaded the bases on a single and two walks, prompting Stott to switch Tyler Campbell from catcher to pitcher with second baseman Martin resuming his former position behind the plate.

 

Campbell retired his first batter on a pop to second, but the next batter doubled to left center scoring two runs. Campbell pitched his way out of danger but not before Chase led, 7-2.

 

Polk was unable to score in the second, third and fourth but Chase scored in the fourth on a line double to the gap in right center making it 8-2. Chase added another tally in the fifth. Then, for the second time in the game, Stott put his catcher—this time Brice Martin—on the mound. Martin fanned two and walked one, but Chase was done scoring for a while.

 

In the meantime, Polk scored two in the home fifth. Daniel Painter opened the frame with a grounder up the middle that the second baseman dove for. Just as the baseman’s outstretched arm and head neared the ground, the ball took a reverse hop, striking the second baseman in the face, stopping play until he could resume his duties. Martin followed with another single. Both runners advanced a base before Chase’s pitcher balked, scoring Painter. Mazzilli’s infield single scored Martin making it 9-4, Chase.

 

In the top of the sixth, Dequan Gary became the Wolverines’ fourth pitcher of the night. Chase scored two in the inning, but the worst was yet to come.

 

Gary fanned the first batter he faced in the seventh, but two hit batters and a walk filled the bases. An infield single, a fly out and a line single made it 14-4. Chase scored its final two runs on an infield single and defensive inattention.

 

In the home seventh, Polk needed base runners — lots of base runners. With one down, Martin coaxed a walk and stole second before Mazzilli walked, but two strikeouts ended the threat and the game.

 

“We’re a lot better when we have our pitching lined up,” Stott noted after the game. Not only were the Wolverines able to take advantage of breaks, “we didn’t make the breaks to begin with,” Stott admitted. “When you’re walking a lot of people, your infielders aren’t on their toes. Watching their pitchers hit some half dozen batters did little to help rouse the infielders.”

 

All was different on Monday when the Wolverines, behind four innings of fine pitching from Konner Scruggs (seven strikeouts) and Mazzilli’s three-run homer, defeated East Henderson, 6-2.

 

Polk, 2-2 overall, was slated to play Madison Thursday, in a game originally scheduled for today. Results were not available at press time.

 

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Photos: 492:

J.D. Edwards got the starting nod against Chase, but lasted only into the second inning of Polk’s 18-4 loss on Wednesday, March 11. (Photo by Mark Schmerling)