Martin swept a doubleheader from Barry County Christian Friday, showcasing hitting. pitching and defensive skills, but then Saturday at the Mendon Tournament, everything went south and the Clippers dropped two games, 18-8 and 17-2.
“We looked very good beating Barry County Christian 15-3 and 5-1.” said Martin coach Jon Gambee. “But when we got to Mendon, it was like we had forgotten everything we have learned. Part of the problem was we were severely shorthanded.* he said. *We had to use junior varsity players as our starting catcher could not make the trip and two players, both pitchers, were injured during the first game. We had to throw two freshman in the second game and both had trouble getting the ball over the plate.”
The two losses made Martin’s overall season record to 3-2.
Martin got out in front of Barry County Christian early Friday and never looked back. The Clippers scored three times in the first inning, three in the second one in the third and eight in the fourth. They had 11 hits and stole 15 bases to help their cause.
Tyler Smith got the victory on the mound, giving up five hits, walking three and striking out two.
In the nightcap. Garret Dill picked up his second win, giving up only one hit, striking out five and not allowing a walk. Martin got four hits and stole another eight bases, giving the Clippers 32 straight stolen bases without getting caught.
But things were different Saturday. In the opener against host Mendon the offense was strong with eight runs on 14 hits and 10 stolen bases, but the defense was off all game, committing seven errors. Garrett Altman started and took the toss.
The Clippers’ second game was against Athens. Zeke Dillenbeck started and took the pitching loss. He was relieved by freshman Robert Martin and freshman Jacob Yowler.
The Clippers scored only two runs on five hits. The lack of baserunners enabled them to steal only four bases.
Martin will play at Delton Monday and will be host to Decatur Thursday.
