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Portageville takes out Doniphan at Malden Invitational
MALDEN, Mo. -- Breaking open a one-run game, the Portageville Bulldogs scored four runs in the final two innings Friday to down Doniphan 7-2 in their opening game of the Malden Invitational Tournament in Malden, Mo.
"We struggled to wait on the ball at the plate early," Bulldogs' head coach Zach McDaniel said. "As the game went on I think we started to realize he's not going to get the ball by us so just wait on it. We had a couple two-out rallies and battled at the plate."
Both teams were part of Pool B in the tournament, with Bernie rounding out the pool. Each of the nine teams in the tournament faces the other two members of its pool with the winner of each pool moving into the championship bracket on Saturday.
Up until a couple late rallies gave Portageville some breathing room, the Dons continued to bite at the Bulldogs heels.
With seven stranded runners in the first four innings alone, however, Doniphan struggled to find a clutch hit in what was still a one-run game.
Collecting just four hits in the first five frames, Portageville combined for seven hits in the final two innings to plate four runs and prevent a Don comeback. Two errors from the Dons proved costly as well.
A bunt single by Hunter Gates plated a run that reached third after one of those errors before Gates was pushed across by Nicholes Allred to make it 5-2.
Gates and Allred came through again in the seventh with RBI hits to make up the 7-2 final.
"We didn't play bad, but we didn't deserve to win because of those late errors," Doniphan head coach Ryan Adams said. "Ethan (Yount), our senior pitcher, had one bad inning there where he walked four kids and gave them a couple cheap runs. We made a couple bad timing errors that cost us a couple runs. You take those things away and it's a decent, competitive game."
Though the Bulldogs led the entire way, the Dons (1-8) had plenty of opportunities to swing momentum.
Down 2-1 in the top of the second, Doniphan had runners on second and third with one out only to strand both. A leadoff walk put the tying run on again in the third frame, but the Dons went scoreless ending the threat with runners at the corners.
Their best opportunity likely came an inning later in the fourth when, trailing 3-2, Doniphan loaded the bases with two outs. A hard-hit liner down the first base line was snagged to get the Bulldogs out of the jam.
"That's been our season so far," Adams said. "We can't seem to get over that hump and be the guys who step up and make plays when they need to make them."
Ian Torrey picked up the win in relief, going four innings where he allowed one unearned run on two hits and two walks while striking out four. Starter Bailey Cook pitched three effective innings, allowing a run on three hits and a walk. He fanned two.
Outhitting the Dons 11-5, Portageville was led by Jon Garrett Kellams' 3 for 4 effort that included a double and three RBI. Gates and Torrey collected two hits each and Tyler Daugherty doubled and drew two walks.
For Doniphan, Isaac Roark went 2 for 4 and scored a run.
"Early in the game we were popping up on first or second pitch and not really making the guy labor much," McDaniel said. "But we started doing that and running the bases well. We played very solid defense. Cook and Torrey did a great job. Overall it was a good game."
Portageville took down Bernie in their last game of the night 8-3 to win their pool.
Portageville 102 002 2 - 7 11 2
Doniphan 010 100 0 - 2 5 3
WP -- Ian Torrey. LP -- Ethan Yount. Multiple hitters: (P) Hunter Gates 2-5, Jon Garrett Kellams 3-4, Ian Torrey 2-4; (D) Isaac Roark 2-4. 2B -- (P) Kellams, Tyler Daugherty.
Tournament Results:
Pool A
Malden 9, Scott City 4
Cooter 3, Scott City 2 (10 innings)
Malden, Cooter (unknown)
Pool B
Bernie 11, Doniphan 5
Portageville 9, Doniphan 2
Portageville 8, Bernie 3
Pool C
Caruthersville 9, NMCC 8 (8 innings)
Bloomfield 11, NMCC 5
Caruthersville 15, Bloomfield 4