BAKER — Nothing seemed to go right for Baker School’s baseball team in Tuesday’s District 3-1A game with Chipley.
The Gator defense was porous. The Gator offense struggled. And Baker base runners had mental lapses that led to outs.
About the only thing going for the Gators was the pitching of Austin Davis and Gabe Nelson. Davis and Nelson held the Tigers to seven hits. Unfortunately Baker fielders made nine errors leading to eight unearned Tiger runs as Chipley took a 10-2 win.
“We’ve got to find some hear to play,” Baker Coach Adam Henry said. “You’re not going to win any ball game making nine errors.
“The errors gave them four runs in the first two innings. We just have to come back out here and work on our defense.”
The game got off to a shaky start for the Baker defense when Chipley’s first two batters reached on errors. The Tigers turned the errors into runs as they took a 2-0 lead they would build on the rest of the game.
Davis reached on a bunt single to lead off the Gator first, but he was called out trying to steal second.
The Tigers added three runs in the second inning on four hits and the third Baker error of the game.
Nelson struck out to lead off the bottom of the third for the Gators, but reached first when the third strike got based Chipley catcher Cordell Carley. Nelson moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Chandler Rockwell.
A base hit by Connor Bartlett moved Nelson to third and Baker (2-8, 0-4) had runners on the corners with one out, but the Gators were unable to cash in on the situation.
Chipley scored three runs in the fourth inning and one run in the fifth and sixth innings to take a commanding 10 – 0 lead as Baker came to bat in the bottom of the sixth.
Baker finally got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning to avoid the shutout.
Davis was safe on a Chipley error to lead off the inning, He moved to second as RJ Bush walked. Dillon Nixon grounded out moving the runners up a base.
A single by Ryan Weidenhammer scored Davis. Bush scored as Bubba Ellis reached on a fielder’s choice.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Errors costly as Baker's baseball team falls to Chipley