ALTON – Base hits were pretty hard to come by in Wednesday afternoon's non-conference game between Marquette Catholic and Roxana at Gordon Moore Park/Lloyd Hopkins Field (the game, originally scheduled for Roxana Park, was moved to Lloyd Hopkins after severe rainstorms Tuesday and Wednesday made Roxana Park's field unplayable).
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The Shells only managed to get one hit off Explorer pitcher Brady McAfee; the Explorers only had four hits off Shell pitcher Sam Mosby. Roxana, though, made that one hit count and used an attack that included seven stolen bases en route to a 3-1 win over the Explorers.
“Both pitchers did a great job,” Shell coach Scott Harper said, “getting complete-game efforts out of each; not a lot of hits today, they were able to mix up pitches and throw awfully well. We played real solid defense behind (Mosby), getting that double-play ball (in the third when Zach Weinman grounded into an inning-ending double play) was big for him, keeping his innings short, but he battled through it.
“Sam Mosby had a real good game for us and we were able to take advantage of things; we got a couple of extra walks and being able to move some guys on the bases, some big at-bats. We scored runs off a (sacrifice) fly and groundouts and things like that; that made a difference.”
“It was a tough 3-1 loss,” said Explorer coach Tim Fahenstock. “When you outhit somebody and you lose, it's a tough day. We're struggling, not playing real good baseball. We're struggling a little bit and we've got to figure it out before we can start winning some games.
“We just haven't jelled real well; we haven't played a lot of baseball and we've had some inconsistencies.”
Roxana was Wednesday's home team as the game was originally scheduled for Roxana Park; the Explorers went on top in the first when Jacob File opened with a single on the game's first pitch and quickly stole second; we went to third on a Weinman grounder to short and came home when Liam Maher lifted a sacrifice fly to left to score. The Shells countered in the second when Trace Gentry walked and stole second and third; one out after Gentry stole third, Logan Presley grounded to second but brought Gentry in to tie the game at 1-1.
The next inning, Chance Foss walked and Blake Vandiver singled, then executed a double steal to reach second and third. Tanner Davis then walked to load the bases before Billy Mathis lifted a sacrifice fly to center to score Foss; Gentry then grounded to McAfee, but Vandiver scored what turned out to be the final run of the game.
The Explorers got runners to third in the fifth and seventh innings, but could not bring them home as Mosby retired batters when he needed to in order to preserve the lead.
The Shells went to 9-14 on the season with the win; the Explorers fell to 8-11.
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