Bombers blast Fulton

Friday, June 17, 2005
Bootheel Bombers' pitcher Trey Bowman fires a pitch during Thursday's game (Photo by David Jenkins, Staff)

SIKESTON -- Sikeston's red-hot Bootheel Bombers won their fourth straight with a 12-1 derailing of the Fulton (Ky.) Railroaders at V.F.W. Memorial Stadium on Thursday.

Sikeston (4-2) pounded 15 total hits with six hitters collecting at least two apiece.

Leading the hit parade was Venezuelan shortstop Jose Lopez, enjoying a 3-

for-5 performance with two runs scored and a RBI.

Matt Bucher, an Oran High School product, delivered two hits in three trips with two runs driven in and one scored. Jared Elmore, Tolliver McMullen, Scott DeLoach and Sean Coker each had two hits, also.

Complimenting the offensive effort, starter and winner Trey Bowman tossed a four-hitter in seven strong innings of work. He struck out four, walked three and allowed one unearned run. Adam Riley mopped up with two scoreless innings of one-hit pitching.

"All of our starters, so far…really all of our pitchers, have gone out and thrown very well," said Marshall. "Even the two games we lost, they threw very well."

The Bombers displayed a nice blend of power and fundamental execution as they jumped to an early lead with three first-inning runs.

Leadoff hitter McMullen doubled into the gap in right-centerfield, then advanced to third base on Brent Telano's sacrifice bunt.

Ingel Silva drove home McMullen with a long triple to the wall in right-

centerfield.

Following a walk to clean-up hitter Coker, DeLoach laid down a perfectly-

placed suicide bunt to score Silva.

Following Lopez' bunt single to load the bases, Bucher's bad-hop single over the first baseman's glove plated Coker.

"With the wood bats, you've got to play a lot of small ball," said Bomber coach Matt Marshall. "You may have one or two guys who can drive the ball with wood bats, but, overall, you've got to play small ball and as long as we keep executing, we'll be all right."

Another squeeze attempt backfired later in the inning when Bowman failed to make contact and DeLoach was caught in a rundown.

Sikeston ran the lead to 5-0 with two more runs in the second.

Elmore led off the inning with a single off the pitcher's glove, went to third on McMullen's drive to right-centerfield, then scored on a passed ball. McMullen came across on Telano's groundout.

In the fourth, Elmore singled, stole second, then scored on Telano's single past the second baseman for a 6-0 advantage.

Four consecutive basehits to open the fifth chased Fulton starter and losing pitcher Miguel Garcia as the Bombers tallied four in the frame. Lopez and Bucher stroked RBI singles.

Fulton (0-5) scored an unearned run in the sixth to narrow the margin to 10

-1.

The Bombers tacked on an unearned run in the seventh, then capitalized on a dropped pop fly in the infield in the eighth when Coker unloaded a shot to the deepest part of the ballpark, about 390 feet to straight-away center field, to drive home Telano and wrap up the scoring.

Centerfielder Silva turned in the defensive gem of the ballgame with a diving grab of a sinking liner after a long run for the second out in the top of the ninth.

"I'm happy with the way things are going," said Marshall. "It took two games for everybody to really get the feel for each other and get going and now we've got a good vibe going and we've just got to keep the ball rolling and keep improving every day."

Another recent acquisition to the Bombers, in addition to Bucher, is former Sikeston High School standout and current all-conference performer at Blackburn College, Jamie Puckett.

Puckett grounded into a fielder's choice in his only plate appearance as a pinchhitter.

Said Marshall, "We've added a couple of local kids and we still have two or three more on the way. Everybody we've added to the team has already contributed. Every guy who's gotten an opportunity to play has done well."

The Bombers host one of the Kitty Leagues top teams, the Union City (Tenn.) Greyhounds, tonight at 7 p.m. with a one-day special price admission of $3.

"I've heard that they are quite good," said Marshall. "I'm sure that we are equal to them and I just look forward to playing and have a good game."

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