The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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4-2 road win improves Milan to 2-0
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: April 12, 2007
It's said that the measure of a good team is its ability to win even when not playing its best.
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In that sense, the Milan baseball team looked like a very good team in defeating Ann Arbor Huron 4-2 in Ann Arbor April 4.
Senior Ryan Bordine's two-RBI double in the top of the sixth provided the winning margin while Jesse Karr pitched 2 1/3 innings for the win.
"We're disappointed in the way we played," said head coach Adam Gilles, "but we're happy that we got the win."
The Big Reds committed five errors and by Gilles' estimation failed on seven separate attempts to lay down a bunt, including three suicide squeezes.
Both teams also had to deal with miserable conditions that included a game-time temperature of 35 degrees and 30 to 40 mph winds that made throws from third base and shortstop toward first extremely difficult.
"You had to throw the ball 4 or 5 feet up the (first-base) line to get it there," Gilles said. "Nobody was complaining. But we would have been extremely unhappy if we'd lost. We spent four hours out in the cold, and you don't want to do that and lose."
The Big Reds pulled it out thanks to solid pitching and timely hitting. Senior Cameron Hynds got the start and pitched 4 2/3 innings, allowing only a single run.
At the plate, sophomore pinch-hitter Aaron Straub came up big with two outs in the top of the fourth, singling in Milan's first run of the game in his first action of the season.
A Bordine single then gave the Big Reds their first lead, 2-1, in the top of the fifth.
The game entered the sixth tied at 2-2, but Milan loaded the bases for Bordine with two outs. With two strikes, the senior laced a double down the right-field line to score a pair of runs and give Karr a 4-2 lead to work with.
Karr would have little trouble in the sixth before seeing the bases loaded with two out in the bottom of the seventh. But Karr forced a high fly ball to center for the final out of the game.
The win improved Milan to 2-0 on the young season.
"They've lost a lot of players from last year, but that's still a school that's three times as big as we are that went to the Division 1 quarterfinals last year," Gilles said. "It's good to pull out a win like that."
In addition to Bordine's performance at the plate, Zach McGovern went a perfect 4-4 on the day and Hynds went 2-2 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch, reaching base in all four plate appearances.
Hynds and Karr combined to limit the homestanding River Rats to only three hits and no earned runs in the game.
Both the Big Reds and the Big Red softball team were scheduled to face Erie-Mason on the road the following Thursday afternoon, but further inclement weather forced a postponement.
The baseball team's next test and the softball team's season-opener came at home Wednesday. Full coverage will be available in next week's edition of The News-Leader. The baseball team next plays at Chelsea in a double-header on Friday.
"That's going to be a huge test for us," Gilles said. "They have four of the best pitchers around and we'll see all of them."
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