Freight takes third at Altamont tournament

Last weekend, Guaranteed Air Freight played seven games over the course of three days, in finishing third at the 2009 Altamont Fourth of July Tournament.

The Freight played four games on Saturday alone, as they battled back through the loser’s bracket after suffering a 3-2 loss to Franny’s in its first game on Saturday. The Freight would win four straight games before losing in the semifinals to Home Center, 7-6, on a close play at the plate.

“We stepped up in a couple big games,” manager Rich Well said. “The win versus Aurora was huge, the win versus Decatur was huge. We hadn’t seen Decatur all year — that’s who probably is one of several teams who has a legitimate chance to win the state tournament and the national tournament.”

Having only played in four games so far this season, one of The Freight’s goals was to get in as many games as it could and get in as many at-bats.

“We got seven games in for the weekend and we needed to play, so it worked out good,” Well said. “It gives us a relationship to where we’re at and where we need to be.”

After losing to Franny’s, The Freight was forced into the loser’s bracket, a place it didn’t want to be when one of its best pitchers, Brad Sturdy, was out with an injury.

“We knew we had a hill to climb and we got a long way up that hill. We just ran out of steam,” Well said.

Despite missing Sturdy, The Freight got quality starts all weekend from pitchers Alan Meinhart and Nick Casey.

Meinhart picked up four wins on the weekend and struck out 48 batters during 34 innings in the circle.

Home Center 7 – Freight 6

In the semifinals Sunday afternoon, The Freight lost 7-6 to Home Center in a closely contested game.

The Freight was on the board first, in the fourth inning. They loaded the bases with the help of two walks. A sacrifice fly to center by Mike Simmons scored Mark Burnam from third. J.D. Arnold then reached on an infield error, which allowed Jeff Swaney to score from third.

Meinhart was on the rubber for Vandalia, pitching for the fifth time in this tournament. Meinhart surrendered a two-run homer to dead center in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game at 2-2.

Another two-run home run by Home Center in the bottom of the fifth put them up 4-2.

Meinhart went five innings, striking out eight, and surrendering three earned runs.

Vandalia was able to regain the lead in the top of the sixth. With runners on second and third, Simmons hit a line drive up the middle, scoring them both and tying the game again. Three batters later, Casey singled to left, scoring Simmons and giving The Freight a 5-4 edge.

In the bottom of the sixth, with a runner on second, an infield ground ball was quickly turned into an out at first. In an attempt to throw out the runner who was going from second to third, a wild throw from first sailed over the third baseman’s head, allowing the runner to score, tying the game once again, at 5-5. Later in the inning, with a runner on, a triple down the right-field line gave Home Center a 6-5 lead.

Tim Hatten led off the seventh with a single down the right field line. Jeremy Curll was brought in to pinch-run and made his way to second on a passed ball. Burnam then doubled up the middle, and Curll came in to score just before the tag, tying the game at 6-all. Swaney followed with a single to center, and Burnam was thrown out on a close play at the plate.

In the bottom of the final inning, Home Center had a runner on third, and an infield ground ball got the out at first. The runner on third attempted to score and slid in head-first, just missing Well’s outstretched glove, scoring the winning run, and knocking The Freight out of the tournament.

“Those things happen; it’s bang-bang. We didn’t get either call, and if get both, we probably win but that’s the way the game goes,” Well said.

Simmons, Casey and Burnam were all 2-for-4 with an RBI each. Bryan Hobbie was 1-for-4 with a run batted in.

Freight 1 – Pride 0

In its first game Sunday afternoon, The Freight was entangled in a pitcher’s duel with Decatur Pride. The contest went nine innings and ended with Vandalia on top, 1-0.

Meinhart was on the mound for all nine frames and struck out eight.

The Freight’s lone run came in the top of the fifth.

Well dropped a Texas-leaguer into left. Curll was brought on to pinch-run and moved up to second on a passed ball. Casey ripped a double that drove in Curll and gave The Freight the lead it would need.

Meinhart put two runners on, in the bottom of the ninth before working out of the jam and getting the win.

Vandalia had just five hits in the game.

Casey was 1-for-4, with a run batted in.

Freight 8 – Koerner’s 1

Saturday night’s final game was scheduled to start at 9 p.m.; however, first pitch wasn’t until well after 11 p.m.

The Freight held off Koerner’s, 8-1, just long enough to avoid the storm that started minutes after the game ended, just before 1 a.m.

A two-run homer by Casey in the top of the first got Vandalia’s offense going and gave some early run support to Casey, who was also the starting pitcher.

Casey struck out two in the first, but also game up a run.

Swaney and Burnam led off the second with singles, and Swaney would eventually score on a passed ball, giving the Freight a 3-1 lead.

Swaney would score again in the third, after reaching on a single. A base hit by Randy Clampitt drove him in from second.

Casey got into some trouble in the third by hitting back-to-back batters; however, he was able to pitch out of the jam, keeping Vandalia’s 4-1 lead.

Bob Nagel led off the fourth with a double and then stole third base. He would score on a ground out by Arnold.

Swaney ripped a double to lead off the fifth and moved up to third on a base hit by Burnam. Luke Hohlt hit a triple off the left-field wall putting the Freight up 7-1. Nagel’s double scored Hohlt, but Nagel was thrown out trying to stretch his double into a triple.

The Freight’s 8-1 lead held through the bottom of the fifth, and Vandalia was able to go home with a run rule to end the day and live to see another day at the tournament.

Casey struck out four and scattered three hits.

Nagel was 2-for-3 with a double and a RBI; Casey was 1-for-2 with a home run and two RBIs. Swaney was 3-for-3, Burnam was 2-for-2 and Hohlt was 1-for-3 with a triple and two RBIs.

“We’ve got some guys starting to put the bat on the ball and that’s a good sign for us,” Well said follwing the win.

Freight 3 – Dolan & Murphy 2

Saturday night, The Freight picked up a big win. Not only did its win over Dolan & Murphy keep it in the tournament, but gave it a victory over a highly ranked opponent. Dolan & Murphy (Aurora) is ranked No. 14 in ISC World Rankings.

Well said this was the key game for not just this tournament, but for this season. To knock off a team like Aurora shows The Freight where they stack up and what they need to improve on.

“I thought we did a great job up and down the lineup putting the ball in play,” Well said. “We had contributions from up and down the lineup and when we’ve had our big success, that’s how it’s been.”

Meinhart was in the circle  for The Freight and Aurora got to him early, putting up a run in the bottom of the first.

Back-to-back doubles by Nagel and Hatten tied the game at 1-all.

Aurora took the lead again in the bottom of the fourth, 2-1.

Clampitt led off the fifth with a double and was pinch-ran for by Curll. Curll moved up to second on a passed ball and would score on a passed ball to tie the game, 2-2.

The top of the seventh had Burnam leading off with a double. With two outs, a single through the left side by Arnold scored Burnam and broke the 2-2 tie in The Freight’s favor.

Arnold would be thrown out trying to steal second.

Meinhart walked a batter and gave up a hit before getting out of the bottom of the seventh and earning the win over world ranked Aurora.

Meinhart struck out seven and and walked six.

Arnold went 1-for-4 with a run batted in. Nagel was 2-for-3.

“This was kind of the epitomy of the games we’ve played when we’ve been in big situations,” Well said. He attributes the win to timely hitting, good pitching and good defense.

Freight 9 – Log Cabin 2

After over a three-hour break between games, the Freight saw the task it had laid out before it. Vandalia, having lost to Franny’s earlier in the day, would have to play its way back into contention. Not any easy task. It would have to win three consecutive games Saturday night and then four consecutive games Sunday.

The Freight’s first win on its comeback trail came rather easily as it dealt with Log Cabin, 9-2.

“The defense was better, we made some plays,” Well said. “Maybe things are coming together with some continuity in our playing.”

Arnold reached base in the bottom of the first on an infield single. Two batters later, Nagel hit a two-out, two-run homer to center, putting The Freight on the board, 2-0.

In the second inning, Vandalia capitalized on some errors by Log Cabin. Clampitt and Hohlt reached on base hits, setting up The Freight with runners on first and second with one out. Hobbie hit a routine grounder to the shortstop, but a wild throw to first went into the dugout, scoring the two runners on base. Simmons would the walk and Arnold dropped a base hit to left, scoring Hobbie. Curll, who was running for Simmons, and Arnold, would score before the inning ended, giving Vandalia a comfortable 7-0 lead.

A home run by Log Cabin broke up Meinhart’s perfect game in the top of the fifth. They would score again in the top of the sixth, cutting the score to 7-2.

The Freight put up two more in the bottom of the sixth.

Meinhart had 12 strikeouts in six innings.

Nagel went 1-for-3 with two runs batted in.

Franny’s 3 – Freight 2

In its first of what would be four games Saturday, the Freight went up against Franny’s for second time this season. At the Kelso Klassic in the second weekend of June, The Freight lost to a composite team made up of Franny’s and Bud Light.

Saturday in Altamont, it was just Franny’s that beat Vandalia 3-2.

The Freight was on the board in the first inning. Simmons led the game off by taking a ball in the leg and moving up to second on a steal. With one out, Well’s fly ball to left was dropped by the fielder, and Simmons scored.

Casey was on the mound for The Freight in a spot-starting role. He gave up two runs in  the first, both unearned.

“In the first inning, to give up two unearned runs, that’s the ball game,” Well said.

The Freight didn’t score again until the top of the sixth. Well hit a pitch through the left side and would score on a double to left center by Nagel, tying the game at 2-2.

Franny’s broke the tie in bottom half, going up 3-2.

Vandalia was able to get a runner on in the top of the seventh, but could not score.

Well went 1-for-2 with a run batted in, and Nagel went 1-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

Casey took the loss, pitching six innings giving up three runs, two earned, on three hits.

“He pitched a real good game,” Well said. “ We just didn’t make enough plays.”

Freight 7 – T-Town KC 0

Friday night, The Freight opened the tournament with a decisive 7-0 victory over T-Town KC.

With two runners on in the first inning, Well singled to left, putting Vandalia up, 1-0. Nagel followed with a hit to right, scoring another run. Well was thrown out at the plate.

“By the time he (the third base coach) told me to put the brakes on, my brakes were long past the stopping point,” Well said.

The Freight was back at it in the top of the third. Simmons walked and moved up to third on a hit-and-run by Arnold. Well then walked, loading the bases for Casey.

Casey grounded out, but drove in Simmons. Nagel then cleared the bases with a triple, putting The Freight up 5-0. Later in the inning a sacrifice fly by Swaney put them up 6-0.

A lead-off single in the bottom of the fifth for T-Town broke up Meinhart’s perfect game. However, Meinhart struck out 13 and gave up just two hits during his seven innings on the rubber.

Well’s RBI double in the seventh made it a 7-0 lead.

Well went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a double. Nagel was 2-for-2 with a double, triple and thee RBIs.

“We got some good at-bats in tonight, and that’s the main thing,” Well said.

The Freight is now 7-4 on the season. The Freight will be in action again in two weeks when it plays the Decatur Pride on Wednesday, July 8, at 7 p.m. in Decatur.