Sports
Stoney Creek Struggles at Home Plate in Rochester Invitational Tournament
Despite a late rally in the seventh inning, Stoney Creek High School lost to Brandon High School 4-2 Thursday.
Stoney Creek High School lost 4-2 against Brandon High School in their final seeding game of the 2011 tournament.
The Cougars (1-2) took the third seed in Pool B and will play in the consolation bracket for the remainder of the tournament. They will play Waterford Mott High School at noon on Saturday at Rochester High School.
If the Cougars beat Waterford Mott, they will play the winner of Rochester High School vs. Southfield Lathrup game on Saturday at 4 p.m. to determine the champion of the consolation bracket.
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The MVP: Brandon High School's Ben Crawford hit a 3-run home run in the top of the fifth inning to give Brandon a 4-0 lead.
The Turning Point: Crawford’s home run gave Brandon the confidence they needed to finish off the game despite a rally by Stoney Creek in the seventh inning.
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The Cougars' pitching and hitting showed renewed signs of life after the home run, but the seventh inning rally wasn’t enough to tie the game.
The Quote: “It was nice to get a chance to see everyone throw in a live situation,” said Stoney Creek head coach Clint Rodger. “I still have three seniors that haven’t thrown, but I’m looking forward to see how they perform.”
Rodger said he brought up four players form the junior varsity team to fill gaps in the roster while seniors were on spring break. The missing seniors will play in Saturday’s games.
Around The Horn: The Cougars had difficulty generating runs against a tough left-handed pitcher. The way he released the ball put a strange tail on his fastballs and change-ups.
“I wish we scored some runs earlier so we would have had a better chance there at the end of the game,” Rodger said.
The Cougars showed signs of life in the bottom of the 7th. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases, and a 2-run stand-up double drove in the only runs the Cougars scored.
A few strikeouts and a pop-up ended the inning and the game.
What’s next? Stoney Creek plays Waterford Mott (0-3) at Rochester High School in the opening round of the consolation bracket at noon on Saturday.
