Rockets win MPL North championship (07/20/06)

Wednesday night's championship game was much like all the previous meetings between the visiting Geneva Cardinals and the Portland Rockets this season. The Cardinals kicked the ball around the field, and the Rockets made them pay.

Portland racked up 12 hits, but also scored eight unearned runs in topping Geneva 12-2 in the North Division championship game of the Midwest Prospects League tournament.

Geneva had a 1-0 lead after the first inning, but the errors started in the second.

With Adams Childs on second base following the second of Portland's five steals, Chad Geier and Greg Cauble hit consecutive ground balls to third baseman Tony Aldridge. The Cardinals should have escaped the inning with no damage done, but Aldridge committed errors on both balls hit his way.

Lenny Koesters followed with an infield single, Jay County High School graduate Heath Williams had an RBI ground out and Phil Bruns smacked a two-run single to right field for a 4-1 Rocket lead.

Portland (21-8) added three more runs in the fourth inning, thanks mostly to a home run by Derek Lehrman and a triple from Todd Graves. It got four more unearned runs in the sixth inning thanks to an error followed by a flurry of wild pitches and passed balls.

Mitch Waters (Jay County) ended the game early with a two-out, RBI single in the eighth inning.

Phil Bruns paced the Rocket effort with two hits, three RBIs, a run and a stolen base. Koesters had two hits and two runs, and Williams, Lehrman and Graves each had two hits.

Matt Perkins suffered the loss for Geneva (15-13) as four of the seven runs against him were unearned. All of the four runs scored against reliever Nate Glant were unearned as well.

Eric Van Matre gave up just an unearned run on five hits and two walks in earning the victory. He struck out four batters in five innings.

Matt Ousley allowed a run in two innings of relief, and Chad Casey tossed one scoreless frame.

The Cardinals' offense sputtered despite nine hits, including two apiece for Aldridge and designated hitting Corey Oetting.

Oetting was picked off first base with no outs in the second inning, and Aldridge hit into an inning-ending double play with the bases loaded in the fourth.[[In-content Ad]]