Painful road loss for Mullen 9
Mullen fades late in 4-3 setback to Arapahoe; 'Stangs had lots of chances.
CENTENNIAL – This one will sting for a bit with no antiseptic or numbing readily available.
Mullen dropped a 4-3 squeaker to Arapahoe on Wednesday in the Centennial League, an annoying road loss that cries out with the proverbial what-if.
The Mustangs, in falling to 3-3 overall and in league, led most of the way, appeared to be in command, had it get away from them late and watched a seventh-inning rally with promise fall short.
Offensively, the Mustangs kept knocking and led 2-0 into the bottom of the fifth. They also had the run that would have tied the game in scoring position.
Defensively, they held the Warriors (5-4) hitless until the fourth before becoming suddenly unglued a bit over the next two frames.
Mullen, which can’t slip the rut in the new Season D of winning a game, losing a game, grabbed a 2-0 lead on a two-run single by Henry Stewart in the fifth, although Stewart, the starter on the mound, was touched for three runs in the bottom half on a hit batter, a sacrifice and four hits. The Warriors added what proved to be the winning run in the sixth on a leadoff single, an outfield error, a fly ball and a passed ball.
In getting within a run in the seventh, it ended for Mullen on a lineout, indicative of a game in which it hit into two double plays and stranded seven runners. The Mustangs also fanned nine times and at least once in every inning, including twice in the seventh.
Trevor Moore, moved to the leadoff spot, was 3-for-3 with a walk and run scored. No. 9 hitter Ben Krza, a freshman, was 2-for-2 and scored twice. Colin MacKenzie added the only other Mullen safety on a bunt single.
Next for Mullen will be a home game at Bill Swift Field on Friday, May 21, first pitch at 4:15 p.m.
ARAPAHOE 4, MULLEN 3
Mullen 000 020 1 -- 3 7 1
Arapahoe 000 031 x -- 4 6 1
Mullen batting – Moore ss 3-1-3-0, MacKenzie cf 4-0-1-0, Stewart p-dh 4-0-1-2, Brady ss 3-0-0-0, Garcia 1b 3-0-0-0, Maffoni lf 2-0-0-0, Hurley 2b 3-0-0-0, Hawes rf 1-0-0-0, Terrones-Garcia rf 2-0-0-0, Krza c 2-2-2-0, Marsh p 0-0-0-0. Totals 31-3-7-2.
HBP -- Krza.
BB – Brady, Maffoni, Moore.
E – Brady.
SB – Maffoni.
Pitching – Stewart 5.1 IP, 4 R, 6 ER, 7 H, 1 NB, 3 Ks; Marsh 0.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 BB.
L – Stewart (1-2).
T – 1:59.
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