Stuarts Draft rallied from an early 2-0 deficit and claimed a 3-2 win in Friday's RCBL opener — a rematch of last year's finals series.
Following a 1-2-3 inning from Bucks' starter Justin Wood, Clover Hill took the lead against Draft lefty starter Drew Dobbins in the bottom of the inning.
Dobbins, a former Shenandoah University hurler, walked leadoff hitter Drew Easter and Christian Simmers, before Addison Bowman laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners. Shane Banks followed with a two-run single to left for a 2-0 lead.
Wood made that lead stand early on. The recent JMU grad worked around an error in the second, and a walk and infield single from Brandon Zollman in the third to keep Draft scoreless until the fifth.
Milo Johnson reached on an error to start that inning, before Wood retired Wes Harlow on a groundout and Rajah Jenkins on a pop up. Zollman, however, slapped a groundball up the middle for a RBI single to trim the lead to 2-1.
The D'backs then tied the game in the sixth, when Ben Wise stroked a leadoff single and then moved to second on a balk. After a strikeout of Wes Dimitt, Ryan Cooper singled to put two runners on. Trip Kiser followed with a high chop infield single to plate Wise and knot the game at 2-2. Wood got Johnson to fly out and fanned Harlow to keep the game tied.
That would change in the seventh. Wood retired Jenkins and Zollman, before being replaced by righty J.R. Rohrbough. Jason Butterworth greeted Rohrbough with a double to right center, and Wise drilled on 0-2 pitch to left for a RBI single to give Draft a 3-2 lead.
The D'backs made that lead stand. After stranding runners in both the second and third against Dobbins, including leaving two runners on with no outs in the third, the Bucks struggled against righty Randall Stevens.
Stevens allowed just two singles and fanned four over three innings, before being relieved by Cooper to start the seventh.
Clover Hill's best chance to score against Cooper came in the bottom of the ninth. Trailing 3-2, Aaron Lough led off with a single to right and was replaced on the basepaths by Justin Hill. Dustin Bowman then sacrificed Hill to second with a bunt, before Grant French flew out to right. Chris Cofer and Aaron Martin both drew two-out walks to load the bases, but Cooper induced Easter to pop out to first to end the contest.
Banks was 1-for-4 with two RBIs and Lough was 2-for-4 to pace the Bucks, who managed seven hits and stranded eight runners. Zollman and Wise each had two hits for Draft.
Stevens (3 IP, 2 H, 4 K, 0 R) picked up the win while Cooper (3 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 0 R) earned the save. Rohrbough (2.1 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 1K) took the loss in relief of Wood (6.2 IP, 2 R, 1 ER, 5 H, 1 BB, 5 K).
Clover Hill returns to action at home Sunday against Broadway.
