After ending their opening week with a 4-4 record, the Southern Ohio Copperheads climbed over the .500 mark during the second week of Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League play.
The Copperheads showed signs of improvement ' particularly in their starting pitching ' as they won four out of six games.
The improved pitching began last Wednesday with Matt Andress' dominating performance against the Stark County Terriers. Andress tossed six shutout innings to lead the Copperheads to a 6-0 victory.
Tony Bertucci toed the rubber on Thursday night, surrendering only two runs in 4 and 1/3 innings against the Xenia Athletes In Action. The Copperheads' bats ignited for eight runs in the seventh and eighth innings to give the team their second straight win, 8-5.
The modest two-game winning streak ended on Friday night against the Delaware Cows, but Copperheads' starting pitcher Dominique Rodgers was stellar.
I thought he was better tonight (than his last start)
to be honest coach Mike Deegan said. He was terrific.
Rodgers did struggle in the first inning; however, allowing two early runs, but he stifled Delaware's offense during his final five innings of work. The Kent State star faced only one over the minimum number of batters during that span.
Once I found the zone and found a comfortable (arm) slot things just started working for me
Rodgers said.
The score was 2-2 when Rodgers exited the game, but reliever John Pokorny gave up three runs in the seventh inning to blow the game open. Delaware tacked on three runs in the ninth for an 8-4 victory.
Southern Ohio continued its up-and-down play by splitting a doubleheader with the Grand Lake Mariners on Saturday. The Copperheads took game one behind a strong pitching performance from Adam Gingras' and Arden McWilliams' first home run of the year, 4-1.
In game two, the Copperheads collected just three hits in a 3-0 loss.
On Tuesday night, the Copperheads ended the week with another win against Stark County, 6-4. McWilliams again supplied the offense with a two-run homer in the first inning and a game-tying RBI double in the eighth. The standout shortstop later scored the winning run on a wild pitch.
I feel like our pitching is coming through. Our defense is jelling. We're getting big hits and everything is just working out
McWilliams said of the team's recent play. As long as we keep doing that
I think we should be good.
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Andrew Bohardt
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