Shorthanded Milan, Whiteford finish with split of baseball twinbill
OTTAWA LAKE – Milan and Whiteford tested their depth Friday night.
Both teams were shorthanded for a baseball doubleheader.
Photo Gallery: Milan at Whiteford baseball
Milan already had three players out with injuries and had three more go down during Friday’s action.
Whiteford was playing without several of its stars because they were busy with the school’s track and field team.
“Ten guys, that’s all we had,” Whiteford coach Terry Pant said. “We played guys in a lot of different spots. We just told them to have fun. They played loose.”
It was the same in the other dugout.
“He was missing track kids and I had a bunch of guys hurt,” Milan coach Adam Gilles said. “We were just putting guys everywhere and told them, ‘Make a play. Be an athlete.’”
It was probably fitting that the teams ended up with a split.
Whiteford pulled out a 4-3 victory in extra innings in the opener, then Milan earned quick revenge with an 8-5 triumph in the nightcap.
“We put a guy who had never played third base at third and two guys who had never played second at second,” Gilles said.
Whiteford tried out freshman Zane Emch behind the plate.
“He did a good job,” Pant said.
Despite the shuffling, but teams played solid defense.
“We only made one error the whole day,” Gilles said.
The inexperience showed in other places.
“Four baserunning mistakes cost us three runs,” Gilles said. “It’s the speed of the game. (The young players) don’t realize how well the catchers can throw and how good the pitchers’ pickoff moves are.”
Gilles said drills his team does during practice helped the defense.
“It’s what we do every day when we are stuck inside,” he said. “We’ll say, ‘Everyone is an infielder today, everyone is an outfielder,' and go through the drills. We do it to see who can play where just in case.”
Luke Rasor earned the win for Whiteford in the first game. Brendon Masters and Logan Tammerine had four hits apiece to lift the offense, and Nate Stevens added three.
“The bats are starting to come alive,” said Pant, whose team improved to 9-6.
Gunnar Kruise picked up the win for 12-6 Milan. Gavin Kruise led the offense with four hits. Matt Bowman and Jaxon Morawski notched two apiece and Lukas Linzell drove in two runs.
This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Shorthanded Milan, Whiteford finish with split of baseball twinbill
