BEAVER SPRINGS - It was a great day for a high school baseball game on Monday afternoon.
For mid-April, the temperatures were balmy in the mid-80s, the sky was blue and there was just a light breeze. The conditions couldn't have been better for Milton and Midd-West.
But, once the game started, the day turned as sour for Midd-West as a cold day in March with snow flurries.
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Sentinel photo by JEFF?FISHBEIN
Midd-West first baseman Tyler Wilson (12)?waits for a throw from second baseman Shane Connahan before tagging Milton’s Reynaldo Adames, who was caught between the two during their game Monday in Beaver Springs.
Milton whitewashed the Mustangs, 15-0, in a Heartland Conference baseball game that ended after four innings because of the 15-run rule.
"We are pretty young" with just three seniors, said Ron Flood, the Midd-West manager, "We didn't field very well today and we didn't hit very well either. We just don't think baseball. I'm the manager and I'm going to take the blame for that."
Milton pushed a run across in the first inning when Reynaldo Adams led off with a single and scored one out later on a single from Damian Moyer. Milton then proceeded to load the bases, but a 6-4-3 double play kept the score at 1-0.
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* Midd-West is at home against Lewisburg Wednesday
In the second, Daniel Bridge led off with a solo home run against Alex Lash, the starting pitcher for Midd-West.
Three errors by the Mustang defense in the second inning allowed Milton to score another run for a 3-0 lead.
In the third inning, Milton put together three hits and Midd-West committed another miscue and it was suddenly 7-0.
Then in the fourth, Milton put the game away and out of reach of the Mustangs. Lash was knocked out four batters into the inning. Hunter Shuff then came in and he faced 10 batters, but only one of them made an out.
Adams had a two run homer in the inning and Bridge, Chad Diggan and Brady Chappell each had doubles. Finally, Zach Mast came in and got the final strike out against Jeff Levitan, a pinch hitter.
Midd-West got four hits with Shane Connahan going 2-for-2. Connahan had a double with two outs in the first inning and also had a two-out single in the third inning.
The Mustangs' other two hits came from Austin Hockenbrock, a single in the second, and a double from Tyler Wilson in the fourth inning.
The winning pitcher was Mark Artley. Along with his four hitter, he struck out three and did not give up a walk.
All nine starters for Milton had at least one hit with Bridge and Jordon Bordner getting three, while Adams had two.
Not only did the three Midd-West pitchers give up 14 hits, but the Mustangs' defense commited six errors.
Midd-West is now 1-9. The Mustangs host Lewisburg on Wednesday.
