Molner was ejected in the second inning of play after arguing with an umpire about a ball called fair that he believed was foul on the third base line. The Wildcats third base coach had to leave the field, and will be ineligible to coach the team’s last two regular season games per Vermont Principal Association rules.
Twin Valley’s batting was barely existent Tuesday, as Blue Devil pitchers Brett Kelly and Tyler Rice combined to scramble four hits in seven innings with seven strikeouts, and only allowed eight Wildcat base runners. Cade Nesbitt would provide half the Wildcats’ hits, going 2-3 on the day.
Sophomore pitcher Sam Molner had a rough start for Twin Valley, allowing 11 runs on 12 hits, while his defense committed four errors. With the score 7-0 in the fifth, Cody Peck hit a grand slam to put the game out of reach for the Blue Devils. Sean Shephardson and Kelly each went 2-3 for Poultney.
The Wildcats will need to win their last two games in order to keep their place as the division IV playoffs seventh seed. The Wildcats play Mt. St. Joseph on Thursday at 4:30, a team they lost to early in the season 9-3. On Saturday, the Wildcats play Proctor, whom they exploded against for 20 hits in their last outing. To take back the end of their season, coach Jim Burke says his team needs to accomplish the simple things they have been inconsistent at all season.
“We have to put the ball on the bat on the first two good pitches,” said Burke. “We have defensive mistakes, but everyone does. We need to put the bat on the ball and keep the defense tight.”