~by Joseph Beaudet, Scranton Journal intern
Ram baseball split their doubleheader with the Heart of Iowa North Polk Comets on Monday.
Senior Brent Riley got the start on the mound in Game One and pitched a complete, six-inning game. He allowed six runs in his time on the mound. Riley gave up nine hits while striking out six. Tyler Teeples got the call to start the second game and gave what was easily his best performance of the season, and likely the best performance of his career. Teeples shut the Comets out in a complete, seven-inning outing. He gave up six hits while walking one batter, hitting two with pitches, and striking out four.
At the plate, the Rams were hot for the majority of the evening. In Game One, the team collected 11 hits. Bryce Stalder collected three of those while Teeples, Nick Breon and Cameren Miller each collected two hits. Stalder and Alex Roberts drove in one run each.
Game Two saw a better performance at the plate with the Rams collecting 14 hits as a team. Teeples led the way with three hits while Brayden Roberts, Riley and Stalder each had two hits of their own in the second game. Roberts, Stalder, Breon, Riley and Cayden Lowmiller all sent runs home.
In the field, the Rams had a strong night that culminated in committing no errors in the second half of the doubleheader.
The first game of the doubleheader saw the Rams fall behind early as the Comets scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning. The Comets were able to add one more in the bottom of the third and three more in the bottom of the fourth, which proved vital. Ram bats picked up in the top of the fifth inning and they were finally able to put a run on the board. Adding one more run in the top of the sixth inning, they trailed 6-2 heading into the seventh inning. In the top of the seventh, the Rams scored twice and threatened for more, but it proved too little, too late. Greene County lost this game by a score of 6-4.
Game Two of the doubleheader saw a better Ram performance from top to bottom, and what could be argued as their best all season. The Rams got out to a hot start scoring two runs in the bottom of each of the first and second innings. The Rams added one more run in the bottom of the fifth inning and four more in the bottom of the sixth. They threatened to end the game by way of Mercy Rule but were unable to tack on the necessary additional run. The Rams won this game by a score of 9-0.
Greene County baseball will look to build off this pair of strong performances as they host the PCM Mustangs on Wednesday, July 8.
