The Milan News-Leader
A Heritage Newspaper
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Cool In the CLUTCH
Big Reds earn late-inning Huron wins
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: May 10, 2007
After the week the Milan baseball team had, it might be difficult to argue the Big Reds had anything left to learn about performing under pressure.
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Wednesday May 2, Milan defeated Huron League co-leader Monroe-Jefferson on the road 3-1 in extra innings. Saturday they rallied past Whiteford 4-3 after having been down to their final strike. And in the top of the seventh Monday, Milan rightfielder Zach McGovern nailed a New Boston Huron runner at the plate for the final out of another thrilling 4-3 victory.
"They're all athletes and they're all competitors," said Milan head coach Adam Gilles about his team's knack for pulling out close games. "They want to win. They know what it takes, and do what it takes to get a win."
The New Boston win looked safe headed into the seventh, with Milan ahead 4-1 and starter Cameron Hynds coming off six strong innings in which the Chief's only run had come on a balk.
But a two-out Chief double with runners on first and second cut the lead to 4-3 and Gilles brought on senior Jesse Karr in relief. Karr gave up a single to right, but McGovern was ready to fire home to prevent the tying run.
Milan had scored twice in the first, with Hynds connecting for an RBI single and Mike Barnett coming home on a Lance Smith sacrifice fly. The Big Reds then added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth, with Matt Craig, Jake Hall, and Smith all singling to load the bases before back-to-back successful suicide squeezes gave Milan the three-run lead.
The win boosted Milan to a 12-4 overall record, stretched their winning streak to six games heading into Wednesday's match-up with Riverview, and most importantly kept Milan perfect in Huron League play and atop the conference standings at 5-0.
"Obviously we're happy with where we are, but we've still got to beat a lot of good teams," Gilles said about the league race. "We've still got to go to Airport. We've got to play Jefferson again. There's a long way to go."
In the Big Reds' first tilt against Jefferson May 2, Matt Suisse doubled and scored in the top of the third for a 1-0 lead, only for the homestanding Bears to tie the game in the sixth and send it into extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Hynds reached base on a catcher interference call. Denver Straub and Barnett followed with singles for a 2-1 lead before a Hall double pushed the lead to two.
After Hynds had pitched six, allowing three hits and striking out five, Karr came in to pitch the seventh and a 1-2-3 eighth for the win.
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