Sheffield too sharp for Stars

BASEBALL: OLDHAM North Stars had to give way to Sheffield Bladerunners at the William Brown Ball Park.

Playing back-to-back games, the home side lost 12-2 and 12-1.

Both teams started brightly in the first encounter, gaining two runs apiece in their first inning.

From that point on, though, Sheffield took command and became ruthless in the field to compensate for their pitcher’s lack of control.

Oldham pitcher Chris Reed struck out the first batter at the top of the third inning and further successes came when the next two to the plate recorded a ground-out and pop-out respectively.

In the fourth, Sheffield were bases-loaded when North Stars catcher James Almond had to leave the game due to aggravating an old ankle injury. With no replacement catcher on the bench, Jordan Wilcox stepped into the breach. The next three Sheffield batters were put out in short order.

Trailing at the bottom of the fifth, Oldham needed to bat in at least one run to avoid the ‘slaughter rule’ — which ends the game early to avoid one side running up a huge score.

But with two outs, Reed was tagged out on the home plate to put an end to a contest in which North Stars’ third baseman Andrew Younger was player of the game.

Stars pitcher Denzel Schrader took to the mound for the second match-up and after issuing a lead-off walk at the start, Sheffield pitcher Jim Ellis hit a fly ball — a high catch — which was taken by rookie left fielder Garry Henshaw. However, the Bladerunners still managed to put on four runs at the top of the first.

Oldham’s inning didn’t begin well with centre fielder Peter Baxendale striking out on a contentious pitch inside.

Next up, Andy Thorley — playing in his first ever games for the Stars — cracked a long ball all the way to the fence, only to be held for a long single.

Bexendale stole to second base on the next pitch and Reed subsequently managed a double to get the North Stars on to the score board.

Highlights of the next two innings from an Oldham point of view were Thorley taking a nice catch at short stop, Reed following suit and a good connection between North Stars catcher Wilcox and Reed — the latter also throwing out two runners at first — to catch a Sheffield runner too far off base at second.

But as in the first contest, the Stars were unable to register the necessary runs — in this case, two — at the bottom of the fifth to keep the game going to the end, leaving Sheffield as comfortable winners.

Oldham’s next fixture is away to the Humber Pilots on Sunday, August 28.