WAYNESBORO – The Waynesboro Indians are usually the team that makes the final push to victory.
The comeback, the rally, the celebration of a walk-off hit – all are trademarks of Waynesboro baseball.
On Wednesday, April 17, at Robinson Field, Boiling Springs was the team that rallied for victory. The Bubblers, which lost to the Indians 8-6 on March 26 in Boiling Springs, scored two runs in the top of the seventh inning, and relief pitcher Jonah Richardson struck out the side in the bottom of the seventh to preserve a 3-2 Mid-Penn Colonial Division win.
Waynesboro had won six straight games, including a 10-0 triumph at James Buchanan on Monday. The Indians are 6-3 overall, 5-1 in the league. The Indians were scheduled to play Greencastle-Antrim last week, but that game was postponed until Saturday, April 20 in Greencastle.
After Saturday’s game, Waynesboro will go on the road for two league games – Big Spring (Tuesday) and Northern York (Thursday). The Tribe will host Chambersburg on Saturday, April 27. The game will be designated as Youth Day, and former head coach Greg Chandler will be honored before the game and will throw out the first pitch.
As for Wednesday’s game, a breezy and chilly one, Waynesboro trailed 1-0 going into the bottom of the third inning. The Bubblers struck first in the top of the second thanks to an RBI single by Matt McNair that scored Torin Williamson.
Tank Benedict raced to first following a third-strike error. Good thing, too. Ethan Hotchkiss drew a one-out walk. Eric Knepper followed with a run-scoring single. Hotchkiss scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Logan Clapsaddle to make the score 2-1.
It stayed that way, and there were no real scoring threats by either team. No, it was a good old-fashioned pitcher’s duel between Waynesboro’s Blake Daywalt and Boiling Springs’ Mason LaBuda. Daywalt struck out seven batters, and centerfielder Kellan Smith caught four fly balls to account for 11 of the 12 outs during Daywalt’s time on the mound.
The Indians had just three base runners in the final four innings. LaBuda kept Waynesboro’s bats in check, mostly pitching to hits rather than strikeouts. He fanned only two batters in his five innings but got plenty of support from the infield.
Richardson thoroughly dominated in his two innings of work. He struck out six batters, and the only base runner he allowed was via a walk.
Hotchkiss came on in relief of Daywalt with no outs and runners on first and second in the top of the fifth. He shut down the Bubblers, inducing a fly out to left fielder Mason Gochenour and striking out the next two to end the inning.
Hotchkiss retired the side in order in the sixth inning before running into trouble in the seventh. Boiling Springs hit into a ground out to shortstop Calvin Myers. Chance Flor singled. Richardson walked. Clapsaddle gloved a fly ball for the second out, a relief for players, coaches and
Waynesboro spectators. Then, Josh Snyder smacked a double that rolled to the fence in right-center field, scoring both runners.
The Indians didn’t have a comeback in them that day. They’ll regroup and prepare for the next game and the games to follow.
