The Marion Bobcats scored two unearned runs in the top of the ninth inning Friday night to beat the host Owensboro Oilers 4-3 in an Ohio Valley League baseball game at Owensboro’s Chautauqua Park. Former Ohio County High standout Tyler Tichenor started at second base for the Oilers, going 0-4 at the plate while handling one fielding chance.
Owensboro took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when designated hitter Taylor Mathews led off with a double, moved to third on Tichenor’s groundball out, and scored on a Josh Salmon groundout to second base. The Oilers held that lead until the top of the fifth when Bobcat Jake Pewitt scored on Tyler Bernard’s two-out double. Both teams scored once in the sixth to remain tied at 2-2.
The Oilers went ahead 3-2 in the last of the seventh when Mathews smacked his second double of the night, driving in Jorge Rosales. But Marion came back in their last at-bat, when Oiler closer Jordan Meece walked the leadoff hitter then first baseman Malduino Gonzalez threw wildly to first on a sacrifice bunt attempt, his three-base error allowing the tying run to score. Alex Reiman’s sacrifice fly plated the go-ahead run.
In the last of the ninth, Rosales walked to lead off the inning, but then was erased on a double play on Oiler Matt Cissell’s attempted sacrifice bunt. Bobcat catcher Brandon Ollet fielded the bunt, threw to second to force Rosales with shortstop Derek Hannahs’ relay throw getting Cissell at first. Mathews grounded out for the final out.
Marion (4-2) 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 — 4 6 1
Owensboro (3-3) 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 — 3 7 1
WP-Browning(3 IP, 1 K). LP-Meece(1 IP, 1 BB). 2B-Mathews 2, West(O), Bernard(M). Pitching–OO–Knight(6 IP, 5 K, 3 BB), Brinez(2 IP, 4 K, 1 BB), MB–Luttrell(6 IP, 1 K, 5 BB).
The Ohio Valley League is a five-team summer league for college baseball players having at least one year of college eligibility left. Tyler Tichenor signed before the start of Ohio County’s 2012 season to play collegiate baseball in 2013 for Trevecca Nazarene University in Nashville, TN. The OVL also includes teams based in Hopkinsville, Madisonville, and Fulton.
