Play At Plate Turns SHS Baseball Game

 A close play at the plate ultimately led the to a 4-3 loss to host Oliver Ames on Wednesday.

Sharon (9-5) took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third. Senior David Zabinsky’s RBI single drove in both runs.

In the bottom of the inning, with two outs and John Foran on second base, OA’s Mike McMillan squeaked a single past Sharon first baseman Nathan Pedersen.

Then, with Foran being waived home, Eagles’ right fielder Caleb Englebourg fired a bullet at catcher Mitchell Goldenberg.

However, the home plate umpire claimed Horan slid underneath the tag, giving the Tigers their first run of the game.

“That was the game,” Sharon head coach Joel Peckham said.

“We made some mistakes, but it looked like he [the umpire] was going to call him [Foran] out. I thought he tagged him before he got to the plate.”

Later in the inning, a throwing error helped score McMillan – who advanced to second base after Foran tied the game by scoring the first run.

OA took a 3-2 lead when Foran, who was 2-for-3, singled in the bottom of the fourth to score Andrew Mancini, who singled earlier in the inning with one out.

Jim Sullivan doubled the Tigers’ lead to 4-2 with an RBI single of his own, scoring Kyle McGilvary.

OA (10-2) clinched a spot in the Division 2 state tournament.

After five solid innings from Troy Whitty (including six strikeouts), OA reliever Andrew Hetzel struck out two to end the sixth and seventh innings, respectively.

“Troy did a good job [starting],” OA head coach Leo Duggan said, “and give Andrew Hetzel credit. He came in and did a really nice job to close things out.”

 Sharon stranded 10 runners in scoring position.

“We had plenty of chances throughout the game to score more runs,” Peckham said.

“We just couldn’t get that big hit when we really needed it.”

OA went 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position.

“That was good, effective, baseball,” Duggan said.

“It’s going to help us out in the future.”

Sharon senior southpaw David Roberto recorded five strikeouts while allowing six hits and one walk through six innings.

Both teams return to the diamond Thursday.

Sharon hosts Holliston at 3:15 p.m., a make-up of the April 21 game snowed out in Cooperstown, N.Y.

OA travels to Attleboro at 3:30 p.m. while