Greencastle's early innings outlast Chambersburg
When you let the Greencastle-Antrim baseball team, the top program in the Mid Penn Colonial Division, score three runs in the top of the first inning with one out, you might as well put your rally caps on early.
Fortunately for Chambersburg, the damage came to a grinding halt early, as the Blue Devils couldn't put a run on the board after the second inning - but it was enough to put away yet another Greencastle win with a 4-2 non-league victory Monday over the Trojans.
"The first inning we didn't make some plays we needed to, but after that really we played great the rest of the way," Chambersburg coach Scott Folmar said. "We didn't hit enough today to do anything. We can't put a whole game together, and that's what it comes down to."
Chambersburg's only runs of the game came in the third after Greencastle (13-1) starter Derek Measell walked back-to-back batters, who eventually scored thanks to a single hit to left field by Carlin Christian.
But after the third, Measell settled in and retired 11 straight batters, including four of his six strikeouts.
"I give a lot of credit to Derek," Greencastle's Myles Gayman said. "After he gave up those two runs, he pitched a helluva game."
Greencastle coach Eric Shaner said, "I don't care what Chambersburg's record (6-11) is, they are a blue blood team and they have players and coaches and it was a situation where I would have felt better if we added a couple runs. But thankfully Measell found his groove and settled in."
For the Blue Devils (13-1), Measell's streak came at the right time, as their bats had gone cold. In the final five innings, just two runners made it into scoring position, and they flew out 11 times.
"I thought we mentally kind of checked out a little bit," Shaner said. "We were up in focus and then all of a sudden there was a break. We swung at some really awful pitches when we had a chance to really put it away."
Gayman led off for the Blue Devils, going 3-for-3 with an RBI, and was on base four times. His fielding at shortstop also aided Greencastle in a number of outs throughout the night.
"I've been a little shaky at the plate, not so much this game, but I had to get the 'I can't hit' idea out of my head and go up there and relax," Gayman said.
Hunter Brindle threw the first five innings to take the loss for Chambersburg (6-11), but was replaced by Chance McClure to start the sixth inning after a hit ball took a scary bounce off his knee in the bottom of the fifth.
"Hunter's knee is OK; his pitch count was getting up anyway," Folmar said. "He ended up throwing a great game for us, and Chance came in and did the same thing."
Monday was the sixth straight loss for the Trojans.