8 Bombers hit by pitches but with 2 rallies, take down Chiefs in 11
Special from Dubois County Bombers
Bombers management took advantage of last night’s game against the Paducah Chiefs to host a family reunion. They invited all former Bombers, former Dubois County Dragons, and former Peaches to come back to League Stadium one more time to share in fond memories.
Not to be left out, the current Bombers adopted their own variation on the comeback theme, rallying twice from three and four run deficits to tie the game, before eventually winning with a walkoff single in the eleventh inning. The final score was 9-8 in favor of the Bombers. Come back, indeed.
Bomber leadoff batter Macy Holdsworth was hit by a pitch in the first inning. Holdsworth came around to score later in the inning, but being hit by a pitch seemed to set a trend. Before the contest ended, the Paducah hurlers had hit Bomber batters eight times. Chiefs batters were hit by the Bomber pitchers a total of four times. Despite the twelve hit batsmen, there were no ejections or on-field confrontations.
The Chiefs bundled three walks and a Bomber error to score three times in the third inning. A single and another error produced another Paducah run in the fourth to make it 4-1.
The Bombers staged their first comeback in the bottom of the fourth. Two Bombers were hit by pitches in that frame, most notable Mark Giesler with the bases loaded. When Miles Hardy brought in Payton Hartbank with a sacrifice fly, the game was knotted at four-all.
The Chiefs replied with three runs in the fifth inning in a rally that was aided by three batters being hit by pitches. When Davis Sims homered in the sixth, the visitors had assumed a comfortable 8-4 lead.
Dubois County got one run back in the bottom of the frame, but squandered opportunities in the seventh and eighth innings, leaving runners on 2nd and 3rd in both frames.
By this point, the game had become a battle of the bullpens. Coach Andy Lasher’s squad proved deeper in that regard, using seven pitchers, but not allowing a Chiefs runner past second base after Sims’s sixth inning home run.
Still, Dubois County trailed 8-5 going to the bottom of the ninth. Trey Fulton led off with a single. The next two batters walked to load the bases. Comeback hopes were on the wane when the next two batters struck out and popped out.
Then pinch-hitter Matt Poland singled in a run. Buddy Johnson reached on an error, and everybody advanced a base both times. The Bombers still trailed by one with the bases loaded and two down in the ninth. Leadoff batter Macy Holdsworth worked a walk to force in the tying run and complete yet another comeback.
But coming back is pointless if there is no happy ending.
After being hit by pitches twice earlier in the evening, it was only fitting that Holdsworth would be hero. He got the game-tying RBI in the ninth. He added the game-winner in the eleventh by drilling a single to right field with the bases again loaded.
Cole Womack led the Chiefs attack with three hits. Davis Sims singled in addition to hitting his 12th homer, tying him for the league lead in that category. Davis Elliott added a pair of hits.
Trey Fulton was the only Bomber with more than one hit.
Five different Bomber relievers combined to pitch the final four innings. Raunel Perez gets credit for the victory to square his record at 1-1. Austin Shaw takes the loss, his first decision of the season.
The Bombers improve to 17-11, and move within one-half game of the second-place tie between Madisonville and Owensboro.
Paducah falls to 10-19 and drops into a tie for fifth place with Fulton.
