Montezuma's Alex Stover and Clover Hill's Kevin Chandler both recorded strong efforts on the mound, with Stover and the Braves edging the Bucks, 2-1, Saturday at Montezuma Ruritan Park.
Stover kept Clover Hill off balance all night and allowed just one run on two hits in a complete-game effort. Chandler was equally impressive, holding the Braves to no earned runs on two hits.
In the first, Stover pitched around a one-out walk to Aaron Martin and got Addison Bowman to ground into an inning-ending double play. Chandler yielded a leadoff single to Devon Snow to open the bottom of the first, but Snow was picked off first by catcher Grant French, and Chandler fanned Brad Buracker and Casey Hartman to end the frame.
In the second, Stover allowed a one-out infield single to James Lucas and walked French, but got another double play, this time off the bat of Chris Cofer, to keep the Bucks scoreless.
Chandler retired the Braves in order in the second and third innings, and worked around a hit batter in the fourth to match Stover.
In the top of the fifth, the Bucks got a two-out walk to Tyler Bocock and a single from Andrew Weaver, but Stover induced Drew Easter to fly out to center to stop the threat.
The Braves then gave him a lead in the bottom of the frame. Chandler issued a leadoff walk to Travis Rhodes, who advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Alex Crank. Chandler then hit Christian Rodriguez before Cody Herring pushed a slow-rolling infield single in between first and second base. Cofer could not come up with the ball in shallow right field, allowing Rhodes to score the game's first run. Chandler then got Snow to line out to left to keep the lead at 1-0.
The Braves added another run in the sixth, when Chandler surrendered consecutive two-out walks to Stover and Rhodes, before Crank appeared to ground out to third. Lucas' throw from third, however, pulled first baseman Shane Banks off the base, and Banks lost the ball while trying to tag Crank — allowing Stover to score for a 2-0 edge.
The Bucks' best chance to rally came in the top of the eighth, when Bocock reached on an error by Cody Herring at short to open the frame. After a flyout, Stover walked Easter and Aaron Martin to load the bases. Addison Bowman followed a RBI groundout, and the Braves intentionally walked Banks to again load the bases. Lucas then flew out to left to keep the maring at 2-1.
In the ninth, Stover again had to work out of a jam. With one out, he walked Cofer and pinch hitter John Sinclair. Both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch, before Stover got Weaver to ground back to the mound for the second out. After an intentional walk to Easter to load the bases, Stover got Martin to fly out to deep right to end the contest.
Stover (9 IP, 1 R, 2 H, 10 BB, 7 K) picked up the win, while Chandler (8 IP, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 2 HBP, 8 K) took the hard-luck loss.
Clover Hill fell to 6-3 with the loss and dropped a half game behind both Stuarts Draft (6-2) and Montezuma (5-2) in the RCBL standings. The Bucks host Broadway on Tuesday.
