CONNIE Saturday, August 2, 2008
Making a statement
By Darren Vaughan The Daily Times
Article Launched: 08/02/2008 01:16:00 AM MDT
East Cobb (Ga.) Yankees' Jarrett Didrick (5) is... (Lucas Ian Coshenet/The Daily Times)«1»FARMINGTON — Friday's nightcap between the East Cobb (Ga.) Yankees and Midland (Ohio) Redskins at Ricketts Park was supposed to be an epic showdown in a rematch of the 2007 Connie Mack World Series championship game.
Thanks to the pitching of Buck Farmer and clutch hitting by Jarrett Didrick, East Cobb made the contest rather anti-climactic. Farmer threw five dazzling innings of three-hit shutout ball and Didrick hit a third-inning grand slam to power the Yankees to a 9-3 win.
"Buck did a good job, and then we got the big hit from Dido,'" Yankees coach James Beavers said. "Once we got that big hit, it gave us some confidence and gave us some room to breathe a little bit."
Didrick struck the big blow with his team up 2-0 in the third. After Midland starter Walker Kelly loaded the bases with two outs, he was replaced by righty Austin Wood. Wood made the mistake of putting his first pitch of the evening right in Didrick's wheelhouse, and the Yanks' No. 8 hitter responded by blasting the offering well over the wall in left center and onto Vine Avenue for a 6-0 lead.
"The ball was up around my eyes, but I was able to go get it," Didrick said. "I had a feeling it was gone. I knew the ball carried a little more here."
Despite the Redskins' best efforts, they never really recovered from Didrick's grand slam. East Cobb's Jason Stolz added to the Yankees' advantage in the fifth inning with a solo home run to center, and Midland's three-run rally in the bottom of the sixth wasn't nearly enough for the Redskins to avoid Sunday's elimination game against the loser of today's noon contest between the Connecticut Bombers and Llaneros 21.
"I think everyone was just a little nervous," said Midland first baseman Eric Hosmer, who was 0-for-2 at the plate and walked twice. "They took advantage of our mistakes. They're a great hitting team."
The Redskins struggled in all facets of the game, making costly errors on the basepaths, striking out 11 times and struggling to make key defensive plays. As a result, Midland used five pitchers, none lasting longer than Kelly's 2 2-3 innings, as they tried to slow the Yankees' onslaught.
Meanwhile, the Yankees were nothing short of spectacular in the field. Catcher Spencer Kieboom picked Josh Richmond off of first base in the first inning, while right fielder Evan Martin and center fielder Johnathan Taylor each had outfield assists.
"You've got to give some credit to our defense," Beavers said. "We made some great relay throws — I don't think we made a bad relay throw all night. We were able to get runners out in close plays at different bases, and that got us out of some innings and some threats."
Despite the rough opening night loss, Hosmer said Friday's game could serve as a valuable learning experience for the players who were playing their first CMWS game.
"If we win Sunday, we get a bye and we're right there in the final six," Hosmer said. "We just have to bounce back. (Midland) did this in '04 when they lost the first game and came all the way back."
In the winning dugout, Didrick felt his team made a big statement with their big win over the Redskins — one he hopes will help propel his team deep into the tournament.
"I think we've got the pitching to do it this year," Didrick said. "This team has better hitting and pitching than last year."
The Yankees face the Florida Legends on Monday at 5:15 p.m. in what promises to be another intriguing contest.
East Cobb (Ga.) Yankees 9, Midland (Ohio) Redskins 3
Yankees (1-0) 105 010 2 — 9 10 1
Redskins (0-1) 000 003 0 — 3 9 1
WP: Buck Farmer. LP: Walker Kelly. 2B: EC — Brandon Miller; M — Zach Cox 2, Brent Warren. HR: EC — Jarrett Didrick, Jason Stolz. LH: EC — Didrick 2-4, HR, 4 RBIs, run; Stolz 2-3, HR, RBI, 2 runs; Miller 2-3, 2B, RBI, 2 runs; M — Cox 3-4, 2 2B, run; James McCann 2-3, 2 RBIs.
