By CHAD MATCHETT
Special to The Leader
Cabot’s junior American Legion team earned a doubleheader split with Rose Bud Thursday night, but even a 9-3 win in the second game didn’t do much to raise the spirits of coach Chris Gross.
Rose Bud took the first game 5-1 despite being held to just three hits. Seven walks in an inning and a third by starter Glover Helpenstill, along with an error behind him, helped give Rose Bud a 5-0 lead in the first two innings.
“We haven’t played that poorly in a long time,” said Gross at the end of the night. “Helpenstill didn’t pitch bad, he really was putting a lot of pitches right there. The umpire had a low strike zone, but our pitchers have to learn to find where the strikes are being called and throw the ball there.”
Lee Sullivan came in to pitch relief and shut down Rose Bud the rest of the way, but the damage had already been done. Standing just 5’4 and weighing 125, the little lefty mowed down Rose Bud, striking out six while giving up just one hit in three-and-two-thirds innings.
“Sullivan came in and really did a good job for us,” said Gross. “We just couldn’t get anything going with the bats.”
Cabot had base runners in the opener, but couldn’t get the timely hits they needed. Cabot had just four hits, but also had five batters hit by pitches to go with a pair of walks. Colby Siegler reached on an error and came around to score on Nick Thomas’ single in the fifth inning. Josh Dollarhide, John Vanhoveln and Jonathan Latture each had singles in the game. Twice, Tristan Bulice reached first the hard way, beinghit by pitches both times. Cabot’s offense took control of the second game of the doubleheader early on with three runs in the first inning and two more in the second.
Latture got the offense started with a walk, followed by a single from Thomas. Bulice drove in a run with a sacrifice fly, while Devin Burke reached on a fielder’s choice.
Helpenstill drove in another run with a triple — the first of three in the game for Cabot — and came around to score on Landon James’ single. That tied the game after Rose Bud scored three in the top of the first inning.
Dylan Bowers followed Adam Hicks’ single with an RBI triple in the second inning. Latture reached on an error and scored after a pair of stolen bases.
Rose Bud helped out Cabot in the third inning by hitting Helpenstill with a pitch, then bringing him home with three consecutive walks. Cabot, however, couldn’t quite get the hit they needed to break open the game.
The fourth inning was a different story as Cabot took control of the game. Latture reached again on a walk, Thomas singled then moved around on an error in right field on a hit by Burke.
Helpenstill singled, followed by Cabot’s third triple of the night — this one by James — and when the dust settled, the home team held a 9-3 lead.
Aaron McKenzie started on the hill and went the whole way for Cabot, giving up six hits while fanning seven in five innings of work.
The doubleheader split gives the A legion squad a 9-5 record this season.
