The Owensboro Oilers defeated the Marion Bobcats, 3-2
The Owensboro Oilers defeated the visiting Marion Bobcats in Tuesday night's season home opener for the Oilers. The final score was 3 to 2. Owensboro scored first with one run in the bottom of the 1st inning. Ryan Stephens led off the game by reaching on an error. He stole second base, and scored with one out on a RBI single by Gabriel Pena. The Bobcats tied the game with one run in the top of the 2nd inning. Cameron Chestnut walked leading off the inning. Chestnut moved all the way to third when Tyler Bailey followed with a single. Landon Weitekamp delivered a RBI sacrifice fly to bring Chestnut across before the Oilers got the two final outs of the frame.
The game rolled along tied at 1 to 1 until Owensboro scored another solo run in the bottom of the 5th inning. With one out, Bryce Shoulders singled and gave way to pinch-runner Jesse Moralez. Both Ryan Messex and Jordan Cessna followed with back-to-back singles -- Cessna's batting in Moralez. The inning closed with the Oilers up 2 to 1. Marion tied the score again in the top of the 6th inning. Caleb Eickhoff was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Chestnut walked. They both moved up a base on an error trying to hold the runners. Taylor Banks reached first when his infield grounder was used to throw Eickhoff out at home plate. Weitekamp executed a RBI bunt single to score Chestnut. Once again Owensboro pitching got outs two and three with no further damage -- but once again the game was tied, now at 2 to 2.
The Oilers claimed their season home opener with a walk-off run in the bottom of the 9th inning. With one out, Davey Murphy singled, and gave way to pinch-runner Austin Hargrove. Moralez sacrifice bunted Hargrove over to second base. Ryan Messex connected with a powerful drive toward the left field corner that a great effort could not keep from becoming the game-winning walk-off RBI single. The winning pitcher was Oilers' reliever Zach Krebs, who pitched a scoreless 9th inning to keep the Bobcats in check. The loss goes to Marion reliever Kyle Tokunaga.