Walks costly in Chester Bird loss

Jimmy Heck had three hits, including a

go-ahead solo home run in the bottom

of the ninth inning.

Four of Hopkins' five runs came from players who had walked and Chester Bird pitchers issued 13 total walks as the Flyers scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to claim a 5-4 win in a key South Hennepin League game.

The loss prevented The Birds from securing a berth in the District 10 playoffs, July 26-30, while Hopkins all but wrapped up a spot in the tournament with the win.

Chester Bird starter Marcus Barone allowed just four hits over five innings but six walks proved to be his undoing. He walked Joey Sinderson to lead off the sixth inning and was replaced by Willie Falk, who proceeded to strikeout the first two batters he faced.

However, Sinderson stole second when pinch hitter Bennett Jasmin struck out and he scored when Andrew Glover singled up the middle to tie the score.

Hopkins took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Sinderson led off the inning with a walked, advance to third base on a pair of infield ground outs and scored on an infield hit.

The Birds responded in the top of the third when Dan Labosky reached on an error to lead off the inning and advanced to second, one out later, on Jimmy Heck's base hit. The duo then pulled off a double steal and Labosky scored on Joe Melles' ground out.

Chester Bird took its first lead of the game in the top of the fifth inning when Melles singled with one out and, with two out, Barone lofted a fly ball down the right field line, which fell in fair ground by inches for a double which drove in Melles.

Three consecutive two-out walks in the bottom of the fifth, followed by Joey Brettingen's base hit up the middle tied the game at 2-2. Robby Sutherland prevented the Flyers from taking a lead when he fielded Brettingen's single in center field an threw a strike to Gabe MacDonald at the plate, who tagged out Jack Cherry for the final out of the inning.

In the sixth, Sam Lynch and Labosky both reached on infield singles. A throwing error by shortstop Andy Wicklund on Labosky's hit put runners at second and third and, one out later, Heck drove Lynch with a base hit. However, like Cherry in the previous inning, Labosky was thrown out at home by Hopkins center fielder Alex Hunter for the third out.

Hopkins tied the game in the sixth again and the game carried on into extra innings.

In the eighth, The Birds had runners on first and second but failed to capitalize while Falk struck out the side in the bottom of the inning.

In the ninth, Heck led off the inning and, after fouling off three consecutive two-strike pitches, launched his second home run of the season to left-center field to give the visitors a 4-3 lead.

Erik Craemer received a one-out walk to start Hopkins' ninth-inning rally and Kyle Dalton followed with a single. After a wild pitch allowed the runners to advance a base, Brettingen was walked intentionally, for the second time on the night.

Sinderson then worked a bases-loaded walk off of Falk to tie the game and Jack Deutsch followed by swining at the first pitch he saw, which Matt Ambre was unable to field cleanly at third base and Dalton raced home with the winning run.

Barone was tagged with three runs in five innings, while four hits and six walks while striking out five. Falk, in three and one-third innings, allowed just two hits but issued seven walks while fanning six.

Chester Bird outhit Hopkins, 11-6, with Heck going 3-for-4 to lead the way. Barone and Lynch also had two hits in the loss.

The Birds are slated for a non-league game, Friday, versus Robbinsdale Armstrong at BSM Field beginning at 5:30 p.m. before concluding the regular season, Monday, with a 5 p.m. league game versus Edina at Braemar Park.