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May 16, 2006

Box score beauty

Panthers pad stats in Gopher Conference win

By Tanner Kent

JANESVILLE — Box score perusers, scorekeepers and statisticians — get a load of this.

During New Richland-Hartland-Ellendale-Geneva’s

18-1 Gopher Conference baseball victory Monday at Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, there were enough statistical nuggets and scoring oddities to keep even the most hard-core number-cruncher entertained.

Take, for instance, New Richland’s second inning that featured five steals.

Already leading 2-0, Tory Samage led off with an infield single. Samage promptly managed to steal his way to third, swiping second on a botched pickoff attempt and taking third cleanly.

Then Brian Warnke walked — and stole second.

After Ben Burshem smacked a two-run single, Dakota Tracy singled — and stole second. One batter later, Joe McGuire singled — and stole second.

Throw in a perfectly executed hit and run on Tracy’s single and the Panthers’ four-hit, four-run, five-steal inning made for one interesting scoresheet.

“We ran the bases well and we hit the ball well,” said NRHEG head coach Jeff Reese, whose club finished with six stolen bases and 16 hits.

But for sheer numerical delight, the fourth inning was even better.

New Richland piled up nine runs on seven hits, two of which were infield singles. Notably, Chris Samage scored the seventh run of the inning — ensuring that every player in NRHEG’s starting lineup scored at least once. Taylor Holland, Justin Stieglebauer and Chris Samage all had hits in the inning — ensuring that every player in NRHEG’s starting lineup finished with at least one hit.

“From about the third inning on, we wanted to play like it was 0-0,” Reese said. “We wanted to take the ball to the right side and really work on some things. I think (the team) did that.”

And then there were the individual linescores.

Tory Samage was 4 for 4 with two steals, four RBIs and three runs scored. Joe McGuire was 4 for 4 with two RBIs, a stolen base, three runs and a hit by pitch. Josh Churchill was 2 for 3 with three runs, two RBIs, a walk and a hit by pitch.

But the best linescore of the game belonged to Warnke who reached base four different ways in four at-bats. Warnke walked in the first, reached on an error in the third, was hit by a pitch in the fourth and doubled in the fifth. Warnke finished 1 for 2 with four runs and two stolen bases.

“I just want to come every day and do what I do,” Warnke said.

Churchill picked up the win for the Panthers, compiling an impressive linescore of his own. Churchill pitched all five innings, striking out five and allowing one hit while walking three and hitting one batter.

“It was all about location,” Churchill said. “When I first got out on the mound, I didn’t feel all that comfortable, but then I started locating.”

Janesville’s Trevor Bartelt took the loss for JWP. Greg Holmes had the Bulldogs’ only hit while Jacob Zimprich had two walks and scored JWP’s lone run.

NRHEG (13-3, 8-1 in Gopher) hosts Rochester Lourdes in a nonconference game at 5 p.m. today. JWP (1-13, 0-9) plays United South Central in a 5 p.m. conference matchup Thursday in Wells.

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