Bettendorf baseball sweeps Davenport Central

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By Ben Brewster | Monday, June 16, 2008 |

The Bettendorf baseball team took both games of a doubleheader Monday against Davenport Central 9-1 and 7-6.

Sam Hershberger started for Bettendorf in Game 1 and pitched six innings giving up one run and striking out six.

“(Hershberger and Game 2 starter Mitch Overstreet) do a good job of mixing up their pitches,” Bulldogs coach Jay Fitzgerald said. “Hershberger hits his spots well and Overstreet throws hard and has a fresh arm.”

The Bulldogs scored three runs in the first four innings before breaking the game open in the fifth.

With the bases loaded and one out, first baseman Mitch Jurevitz bunted; he nearly was thrown out at first base, but the throw was wild, allowing all three runners to score with Jurevitz ending up on third base.

“(Jurevitz) is probably one of the best bunters we’ve got, and it felt like the time was right” Fitzgerald said.

The bunt made the score 8-1.

Jurevitz scored on a single from designated hitter Jake Fenton to make it 9-1.

The Blue Devils’ lone run came in the second inning on a home run from catcher Trevor Kenyon. Kenyon had started the game at third base but moved over to catcher when starting catcher Dallas Burke was hit by a pickoff throw and had to leave the game.

Hershberger got the win for Bettendorf and Pat Mesick pitched a perfect seventh to end the game. Connor Gilland took the loss for the Blue Devils.

The Blue Devils made three errors, all in the fifth inning, two of which led to the bases-clearing bunt.

“Our defense really hurt us again,” Blue Devils’ coach Jay Ryan said.

The second game appeared to be another easy win for the Bulldogs with 51/3 innings from starter Mitch Overstreet in which he gave up one unearned run.

The Bulldogs took a 4-1 lead in the third inning.

Centerfielder Joel Hutter doubled and was driven in by a double from second baseman David Reckman.

Catcher Nick Whitty followed with a two-run home run, scoring Reckman.

They would add two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to take a 7-2 lead.

The Blue Devils nearly came back in the seventh inning, scoring four runs off reliever Eddie Pantzlaff.

Ryan Schlueter hit a one-out single to start the rally.

Nick Bakeris followed with an RBI double before pitcher Eric Irons hit a two-run homer to make the score 7-5.

Pantzlaff then walked Kenyon and gave up a single to Chase Cartee to set the stage for Gilland, who hit a gapper to deep left-center field.

Kenyon scored, but the relay throw nailed pinch runner Burke on a close play for the final out.

“A lot of positive things happened late in that game that we can build on,” Ryan said. “We found good pitches, hit the ball hard and came through in the clutch.”

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