Amateur Baseball: Region 14C: Bluffton eliminated in heartbreaker with Staples, 11-10

Baseball could be called a game of inches and Bluffton’s heartbreaking 11-10 loss to Staples on Sunday afternoon was no exception.

The Braves led 9-2 after the top of the fifth, but the Lumberbats refused to fold and rallied to score seven runs in their next two at-bats to tie the game at 9-all after six innings.

Both teams traded runs in the seventh to keep the game tied, and in the bottom of the ninth, it was just one pitch that ended up breaking the heart of Braves Nation.

Bluffton relief pitcher Cody Geiser would like to have that pitch back, an one-out, bases-loaded curve ball that zagged instead of zigged and struck Lumberbat batter Travis Hendrickson for the walk off, game-winning run.

Up to that point, it looked like Bluffton would have an easy time dispatching the Lake & Pine South Champions when they raced to a 5-0 lead after two innings.

Kevin Tumberg highlighted the Braves two-run first inning with a bases-loaded single that scored two runs and RBI singles from Dustin Geiser and Kyle Dykhoff along with a sacrifice fly from Marc Sweere in the second inning capped a three-run second inning outburst.

Staples answered in the bottom of the third on a two-run double from Rob Hazuka, but Bluffton would continue to add run support for Tumberg, who started on the hill for the Braves.

Tumberg aided his cause with a RBI single in the fourth, and the Braves erupted to post a crooked number in the fifth to make it 9-2. Dustin Gieser highlighted the frame with a RBI double and back-to-back RBI singles from Cody Geiser and Dykhoff knocked out Lumberbat starter David Anderson.

Then the momentum suddenly switched to the Lumberbats.

Staples slowly started chipping away at the Braves lead in the bottom half of the fifth when they tallied three runs. A Bluffton error open the door for Hazuka to picked up his second RBI double of the game and a Hendrickson ground out and Zach Martin single pulled the Lumberbats within four runs, 9-5.

The Lumberbats kept the momentum going in the sixth to tie the game as Martin highlighted the frame with a two-run single. Ryan Klingaman and Justin Kolling added RBI singles to cap the four-run frame.

Bluffton regained the lead in the top of the seventh on a Marc Sweere sacrifice fly, but the Lumberbats answered when Jeremy Bachmann scored on a two-out, bases-loaded wild pitch from Cody Geiser, who relieved Tumberg at the start of the inning.

Staples capped the dramatic comeback in the bottom of the ninth as Bachmann led off the frame with a single. After Klingamann flew out, Kolling singled and Hazuka was hit by a pitch, which loaded the bases and set the stage for the wild finish.

Both teams combined for 32 hits in the contest with the Lumberbats registering 17 to the Braves’ 15. Dykhoff went 4-for-5 with a run and two ribbies for Bluffton while Kolling was a perfect 5-for-5 with two runs and ribbie for Staples.

Tumberg started strong on the hill for the Braves, allowing two earned runs on just six hits in four innings before the Lumberbats came alive at the plate during the fifth and sixth stanzas. He would end up surrendering nine runs (three earned) on 13 hits and striking out five in the no decision.

Also registering multiple hits for the Braves in the loss were Dustin Geiser, who went 3-for-4 with a double, three runs and two RBIs. Cody Geiser, Marc Sweere and Jake Seelhammer each collected two hits.

Bluffton finished the 2011 campaign with a 14-12 record.

Region 14C Playoffs
Bluffton vs. Staples (at Carlos) on August 7
Lumberbats 11, Braves 10
Bluffton 2 3 0 1 3 0 1 0 0—10 15 2
Staples 0 0 2 0 3 4 1 0 1—11 17 0
WP: Jason Gross (Staples) 2IP, 0H, 0R, 0ER, 4BB, 4K
LP: Cody Geiser (Bluffton) 2.1IP, 4H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 2K
Bluffton—Dustin Geiser 3-5, 3R, 2B, 2RBI; Cody Geiser 2-5, 2R, RBI; Kyle Dykhoff 4-5, R, 2RBI; Marc Sweere 2-4, R, 2RBI; Kevin Tumberg 1-4, 3RBI; Jake Seelhammer 2-4, 2R, 2B; Matt Geiser 1-3, R
Staples—Ryan Klingaman 3-6, 2R, RBI; Justin Kolling 5-5, 2R, RBI; Rob Hazuka 2-5, 2R, (2)2B, 3RBI; Travis Hendrickson 1-3, 2RBI; Zach Martin 2-4, 3RBI; Jason Bachmann 1-5, R, 2B; David Anderson 1-5, R; Jeremy Bachmann 2-4, 3R

BOXSCORE & GAME SUMMARY (Courtesy of Ron Berns)