Pitching party
Derek Boben and Holden Martin were matching each other pitch for pitch.
Inning after inning, the Moniteau and Karns City right-handers dueled with no winner.
Boben worked eight innings, striking out 10 and giving up just one run. Martin worked nine innings, striking out four and giving up just three hits and one run.
The game, though, was left up to the relievers and Aaron Marterella tossed two scoreless frames as Moniteau edged Karns City in 10 innings, 2-1, Thursday at Kelly Automotive Park.
“If you like baseball,” said Moniteau coach Ross Martin, “this was a great game to watch.”
It was a crisply played game as well. The first seven innings took 75 minutes to complete. The 10-inning game finished in under two hours.
J.J. Waid scored on a single by Wyatt Ifft off Karns City reliever Eric Dodd in the top of the 10th inning for the eventual game-winning run.
Marterella did the rest, working around a two-out walk in the 10th for the win.
“Derek pitched a great game,” Marterella said. “Eight solid innings. We got more than we needed from him. I was happy to come in and finish the job for him. It was just a good day. A good win.”
Holden Martin tripled in the bottom of the first inning and scored on an infield single by Marcus Lantz to give Karns City a 1-0 lead.
It stayed that way as both pitchers put up zeros until Moniteau pushed across the tying run in the top of the sixth inning without getting a hit.
Wyatt Geibel was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a RBI groundout by Marterella.
“We played a little small-ball there,” Marterella said. “They are a great team. We have a lot of respect for them. It's always a great game when we play.”
Karns City (11-5) had several chances for a walk-off.
The Gremlins put a runner on third with one out in the seventh, but pinch-hitter Tyler Yough hit a one-hopper back to Boben. Hunter Schaffner was caught between third and home in a rundown and was eventually tagged out.
Yough tried to advance to third but was thrown out at the bag.
“That's why you do that stuff in practice — you work on rundowns,” Ross Martin said. “They may only creep up one or two times in a season, but they're always big plays.”
In the bottom of the ninth, Karns City loaded the bases with two outs and Evan Stitt attempted to steal home, but Dodd fouled off a two-strike pitch.
Stitt, who is a sprinter on the Karns City track and field team, slid under the swinging Dodd.“That was between me and (Stitt),” said Karns City coach Randy Collins. “Eric didn't know. I asked (Stitt), 'Do you think you can make it?' He said, 'Yeah, I think I can make it.'”Karns City struggled hitting with runners in scoring position. Boben and Marterella were able to bear down and hold the Gremlins to 1-for-8 in those situations Thursday.“We've been up and down hitting with guys in scoring position,” Collins said. “Today was down.”Both starting pitchers were up.“Phenomenal performance from both pitchers tonight,” Collins said. “Holden, that's what we've come to expect from him. It was (gutsy) for him to go nine innings against one of the best teams in District 9.”Boben, a Slippery Rock University recruit, also had two hits for the Warriors.Marterella has been clutch coming out of the pen for the Warriors.“Jokingly, we call him 'rubber arm,'” Ross Martin said. “He can pretty much come in in any situation, in any weather condition. He's a senior and someone we have a lot of confidence in. Great kid.”Moniteau 000 001 000 1 — 2 5 2Karns City 100 000 000 0 — 1 7 1W: Aaron Marterella 2IP (1K, 1BB). L: Eric Dodd 1IP (0K, 1BB).Moniteau (11-2): Wyatt Ifft 1B RBI, Wyatt Geibel 1B, Marterella RBI, Derek Boben 2-1B, J.J. Waid 1BKarns City (11-5): Evan Stitt 2-1B, Marcus Lantz 2-1B RBI, Holden Martin 3B, Hunter Schaffner 2-1BMonday: Redbank Valley at Moniteau; Karns City at A-C Valley
