Big sixth inning lifts Rockets

Copyright 2017, The Commercial Review

All Rights Reserved

The Rockets hadn’t played in a week.

Judging by the offensive performance, they might as well have never taken a day off.

Five players had two or more hits and the Portland Rockets sent a dozen batters to the plate to score nine runs in the sixth inning to beat the Northeast Kekionga 15-5 in eight innings Wednesday at Portland Memorial Park’s Runkle-Miller Field.

“We made some good defensive plays, got that Rocket rally,” said Portland manager Randy Miller, whose team has now won nine straight games. “We had 15 runs on 15 hits I understand.

“We bunched them together. … Keep doing things right. Up and down the lineup we have people that can be impactful.”

Cody Krumlauf hit an RBI double which brought home Mitch Waters on a throw. Tristen Becker drove in a run, and Dustin Lewis absorbed a changeup off his back for an RBI hit by pitch to make it 8-4 Portland.

Collin Affolder, a South Adams High School graduate, ripped an RBI single before Zach Tanner stepped into the batter’s box for the second time in the inning and blasted a bases-clearing double off the wall in center field, making it 13-4.

All nine runs in the inning were scored with fewer than two outs, and the Rockets (17-7) pushed across five before the Kekionga recorded an out. SAHS graduate Chandler Ingle, the sixth batter of the inning, was forced out at home.

“It was very timely,” Miller said. “Hitting is contagious. We went for the jugular. We just keep building on that.

“We haven’t played in a week and sometimes that can be a timing factor, but we found our stride after a couple at bats.”

Northeast Kekionga got one back in the top of the seventh before Affolder and Tanner both had RBIs in the eighth for the run-rule victory. Tanner paced Portland with five RBIs as he had a triple, a double and two singles. Becker followed by knocking in three runs, and Affolder drove in a pair of runs.

Portland reliever and 2015 Jay County High School graduate Chandler Jacks got the victory in relief. He allowed one unearned run on one hit, walked a pair and struck out one in two innings of work.

“Chandler is getting the ball down, pounding the zone,” Miller said of the Wabash sophomore. “He has great confidence in his curveball. He pitches, he just doesn’t throw. He has a mental vision of what he wants to do on the hill.”

After a shaky first inning during which Northeast Kekionga touched up Portland starter Max Habegger for three runs, the Carmel lefty kept the opposition mostly in check with the help of his defense.

With two on and one out in the third inning, Habegger got out of the jam with a strikeout before catcher Krumlauf picked off a Kekionga runner at second to end the threat.

Kekionga loaded the bases in the fourth inning before Habegger recorded his eighth strikeout, and after allowing the game-tying run in the fifth, Waters had an unassisted double play to prevent further damage.

“They kind of nickel-dimed him and scratched a couple runs,” Miller said.

He allowed four runs — two earned — on six hits, none of which were hit hard. He fanned nine and walked five.

“He is a pretty dominant force himself on the mound,” Miller said.

Affolder contributed a double and two singles and Waters finished with three singles. Krumlauf and Becker both had a double and a single for Portland, which travels to Indiana Wesleyan to meet the Summit City Sluggers for a doubleheader Saturday prior to a home doubleheader Sunday against the Whitko Royals.

“We’ve got to be fresh,” Miller said. “We have to have our reinforcements in line. Good starting pitching, that has been our go-to so far.

“I like our pieces. We’ll shuffle the deck and go with it.”