Martin split a doubleheader with Black River of Holland Thursday, dropping the opener 11-7 before coming back to take the nightcap 5-3.
“We played well tonight,” said coach Jon Gambee. “We made a couple of errors in the first game that accounted for seven of their runs, the difference in the outcome. But we are a very young, inexperienced team and errors are part of the game.
“What I especially liked was that we are beginning to get it. We are making the right plays and just because we don’t always execute them correctly, at least we are learning what we are supposed to do. We are throwing to the right base, we are trying to hit the cutoff man. We are communicating better.
“I am trying to get our players to accomplish two main things. What to do with the ball if it is hit to them and what to do if it is hit to someone else. Everyone had someplace to go on every hit ball. We are getting there.”
In the first game, Martin scored six runs in the second inning. Runs were scored by Payton Hunt, Ethan Gorton, Cayden Curry, Ryan Carruthers, Zeke Dillenbeck and Vilas Moreland. They scored once more in the fifth on when catcher Zach Schwab reached on an error and his courtesy runner, Ryan Hunt, stole a base and scored on a passed ball.
Jacob Robinson went the whole way on the mound, giving up all 11 runs but only four earned runs. He walked two and struck out five.
In the second game, Ethan Gorton pitched the entire way, striking out four and walking four. Martin scored once in the first, once in the second and three times in the fourth. Black River scored three runs, only two earned, in the fifth.
Runs for Martin were scored by Dillenbeck, Cayden Curry, Ryan Carruthers and two by Vilas Morhland. Runs batted in were recorded by Dillenback (2), and Payton Hunt.
The split runs the Clippers’ overall record to 1-3. They will travel to Decatur Monday.
