Big Island opens the season with a victory

By Ted Allen

Published: June 13, 2008

FOREST — Big Island Post 217 racked up five doubles in Friday night’s season-opening 5-2 victory over Danville Post 325 at Forest Middle School, including three in the first inning when it scored its first run.

But it did more damage with its short game, capitalizing on Danville’s only two errors — on bunts fielded cleanly but thrown past first base — to reclaim the lead with two runs in the sixth and add some insurance with two more in the eighth.

“Bunts were huge tonight,” Big Island coach Kelley Russell said.

Shane Timberlake led off the sixth by beating out an infield single to short before Bobby Shelton put down a bunt and reached on an error by Danville catcher Cody Westmoreland. He advanced to third while Timberlake scored as the ball glanced off first baseman Scott Norris’ glove and careened into foul territory down the left-field line near Danville’s bullpen. Shelton scored the go-ahead run on Huffman’s ground out to short.

Then in the eighth, Huffman led off with a double to right before Mike Crowder’s bunt was thrown away by southpaw reliever Ethan Ellington, putting runners on second and third with none away. Hunter Gordon walked to load the bases with one out, leading to Danville coach John Bailey’s ejection for arguing balls and strikes.

After Ellington fanned Tyler Brown, John Hatcher delivered a two-out bloop single to right, all but icing the win with Shelton coming in to close out the ninth.

“A lot of us hit in the clutch when we needed it with runners on late in the game,” said Huffman, who doubled in Shelton in the first. “They hung in there at the plate and took advantage of (opportunities).”

Big Island (1-0) might have broken the game open in the first, but Donnie McKinney, who had led off with a double, was thrown out trying to score from third on a ground out by Timberlake.

“I’ll take the blame for sending him,” Russell said. “Donnie had a great lead and when you get that kind of lead, you’ve got to go on contact and if he had, he might have been in there.”

Jared Millner, who was Lynchburg College’s closer as a freshman this spring, got the opening-day start and went five innings, striking out five and allowing seven of Danville’s nine singles.

“Jared had a strong five innings, he only gave up two runs and that is a good hitting team,” said Huffman, who caught for Millner at Jefferson Forest last year.

“Jared may close the first of the week and start at the end,” Russell added. “With as many games as we’ve got, you’ve got to pitch by committee.”

Gordon earned the win in relief of Millner, striking out three in 2 2/3 innings including Lea Turner looking on a tough curveball, before being relieved by Ragan Rudisill with two outs in the eighth.

In the ninth, Sheldon walked ninth batter Mark Nales before striking out the next two with Huffman ending the game by throwing out Nales trying to advance on a dropped third strike.

Big Island, made up mostly of JF players with a few Liberty graduates sprinkled in, recovered nicely from Wednesday’s doubleheader scrimmage sweep at New River. Danville, which got a jump on the season, slips to 5-2.

“We’ve only been going for about 10 days,” Russell said. “We’re still in tryout mode.”

“In our two games Wednesday, we made a few mental errors and a few physical errors,” Huffman added. “This is a big win for us. They’re a really good team.”

Seven of the JF seniors on the team leave for their class’ beach week this morning, and plan to return for next Saturday’s final game of the four-team Big Island Jamboree against Lynchburg Post 16.