WOODSTOCK -- The James Wood Colonels got a complete game effort from Matt Copley and timely back-to-back hitting in three innings to top the Central Falcons, 4-2, in Northwestern District baseball action Thursday night.
Copley tossed shutout ball in the fourth, fifth, and sixth frames, facing only one batter above the minimum on designated hitter Bryan Davis's leadoff single in the fourth. He scattered nine hits, got six strikeouts and issued two walks for the win.
"We usually try to mix in fastballs, curveballs, and change-ups, and they were all working tonight," Copley said. "And I give a lot of credit to our defense."
Copley and Falcons starter Alex Palmerton had a scoreless duel through the first two innings, each having a pitch count of 30 at that point.
The Colonels (13-5, 12-4 Northwestern) got on the board in the third as senior rightfielder Tim Spore (2-for-3, RBI, run) beat out an infield single to third base, followed by senior leftfielder Danny Cooper's double to the left-center gap, plating Spore.
Central answered in the bottom of the frame with a leadoff single to right by senior centerfielder Hoyle Laughlin, who was taken off when rightfielder Seth Bauserman hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
Pitcher Palmerton helped his own cause with a single to center, followed by senior J.J. Armentrout's grounder to left for a single. Senior first baseman Sam Dowdy continued the hitting string with an RBI single to single to center, knocking in Palmerton.
The Colonels upped the ante in the fourth inning with Dustin Russell's leadoff double blooper 30 feet beyond first base just inside the right field foul line. Brandon Sinecoff followed with a timely hot grounder single to center, driving Russell home and advancing to second as the ball rolled under Laughlin's glove.
After Copley struck out, Cody Vorous blooped a singled just out of second baseman Kyle Kelican's reach, moving pinch runner Gleske to third. Vorous then stole second.
Palmerton then faked a pickoff attempt to second and threw to third trying to catch Gleske off the bag, but the attempt backfired as third baseman James Brennan couldn't handle the throw and Gleske crossed the plate on the error.
Palmerton found the groove in the fifth and sixth, with only Cooper (2-for-4, two doubles, RBI) reaching base with a double in the sixth.
"One of my doubles came on an outside fastball, I ended up hitting down the line, and the other one was a curveball, I was just seeing what I could get," Shenandoah University-bound Cooper said.
The Colonels used back-to-back hits again in the seventh as Travis Viands led off with a single to left and stole second. Armentrout relieved Palmerton on the mound and gave up a single to Spore, driving in Viands. Armentrout then retired the side with two Ks and a groundout.
Central (10-6, 8-6) mounted one of its typical seventh-inning rallies, starting with freshman Sean Semones lining a hit off of Copley's glove for an infield single. Kelican followed with a swinging bunt hit to first base.
Laughlin drew a walk to load the bases. Bauserman then sliced a single to right, plating Semones. Copley then stiffened, striking out Palmerton and Armentrout and getting Dowdy to ground out to first to end the game.
"We were OK on our pitch count for Matt [Copley], but we did get two guys up in the pen," James Wood coach Jared Mounts said. "It was a tough decision, because they rallied and you just never know how you're going to come out of the pen. I talked to pitching coach Zach Stiles, and we had confidence in Matt, and he bucked up and did good job to finish."
