'Turning point': Wooster hopes to use losses to Mt. Vernon to thrive in second half
WOOSTER — The first two days of the week weren't what Wooster wanted.
But it might be exactly what the Generals needed.
Mount Vernon completed the regular season sweep of Wooster Tuesday, beating the Generals 4-3 on road after an 11-7 win at home to break the Ohio Cardinal Conference race wide open.
For the second straight game, Wooster felt little mistakes were the potential difference between a win and a loss.
"That's two nights in a row we've just made so many costly mistakes and gave away so many free bases," Wooster coach Steve Young said. "We have a lot of guys with a lot of experience, but we're also playing a lot of young guys. It's the little things. When you're playing a good team like Mount Vernon, you can't make those mistakes. You've got to be clean."
The big play Tuesday came during the decisive fourth inning, when the Generals appeared to have the Yellow Jackets in trouble during a rundown. Pitcher Brady Bowen cleanly fielded a ground ball and fired the ball toward home plate while Mt. Vernon's Nolan Hershberger ran toward the plate. The throw easily beat Hershberger, resulting in a rundown between third and home. But a throwing error allowed Hershberger to score, bringing Mt. Vernon within a run of the Generals.
Two batters later, and the Jackets held a 4-3 lead that they would keep the rest of the night behind a complete game performance from Kayden Packard. Reigning OCC Player of the Year Konner Daughriety went 1 for 4 with an RBI a day after smacking two home runs against the Generals in the first game of the series.
"It's crazy," Daughriety said. "I never thought we'd be here. I've been playing them four years now and we've only beat them once. So, sweeping them this year is a great feeling."
Making Tuesday's loss even more painful for the Generals? They took an early 3-0 lead with ace Bowen on the mound before seeing the Yellow Jackets take the lead back with a run in the second inning and three in the fourth. The bats never came alive in the later innings as Wooster lost for just the second time this year after a five-game winning streak to start the season.
Bowen pitched five innings, allowing six hits and three earned runs. He was one of four Generals with a hit, joining Brock Bowen, Hayden Meese and Sam Nielsen
Still, Wooster has a great chance grab a fourth straight OCC title, with two-game series against New Philadelphia, Mansfield Senior and Madison still to play.
"This is a good turning point for us to see what we're made of," Young said. "We still control our own destiny in the league."
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Baseball: Mt. Vernon sweeps Wooster in big OCC series
