(From Owensboro) The Owensboro Oilers bested the visiting Bobcats from Marion in the Tuesday night game at Owensboro. Final score was 8 to 3.
     The Oilers scored at least one run in each of the first four innings. The bottom of the 1st inning saw leadoff hitter Tyler Grogg single and steal second base. Matt Johnson followed with a single that moved Grogg to third base. Johnson swiped second base while Grogg held to third base. An RBI groundout by Austin Edge scored Grogg and moved Johnson to third base. Brandon Morris came through with a RBI single bringing Johnson across for the second run in the inning.
     Leading 2-0, Owensboro scored two more runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Brendon Hardin led off with a walk and Tyler Tichenor singled. Taylor Mathews sacrifice bunted, moving both runners ahead of him up one base. Grogg returned to the plate for a 2- RBI single, scoring both Hardin and Tichenor.
     The Oilers added one run each in the bottom of the 3rd and 4th innings. In the 3rd inning, Edge singled and was sacrifice bunted to second base. One out later, Edge hustled in on a two-out RBI single by Dalton West, who took second base on the throw attempting to keep Edge from the plate. In the 4th inning, Tichenor led off with a walk and stole second base. Mathews followed with a single that moved Tichenor to third base. Mathews followed the active Oilers game plan by stealing second base as Tichenor maintained third base. Grogg followed by reaching base on a perfectly executed RBI squeeze bunt that plated Tichenor, and pushed Mathews to third base. The Bobcats starter battled back for three quick outs, but the home team had built a 6-0 lead.
     Marion did not get to Oilers starter Shane Weedman until scoring one run in the top of the 5th inning. In fact, the leadoff single by Tremaine Woolridge was the first Bobcat hit off Shane Weedman in 13 innings of work over two starts. Woolridge made the most of the opportunity on base. He took second base on a passed ball, moved to third base on a defensive error, then scored on a wild pitch. The run for Marion made the score 6-1 for the home team. The Bobcats threatened again in the top of the 6th inning, as a tiring Weedman intersected three walks with a couple of pop outs to load the bases with two outs. A timely strikeout kept the frame scoreless.
     Owensboro pressed the advantage by scoring one run in the bottom of the 6th inning. Tichenor led off with a walk and was sacrifice bunted over to second base. Grogg bunted his way on safely again, and Tichenor went to third base. Tichenor broke for the plate on a ball that wasn't as hard to handle as it looked and was tagged out, but Grogg replaced him at third base. Mathews then walked. The Bobcats caught him in rundown that played out between first and second base, but the speedy Grogg crossed the plate before Marion tagged Mathews as the third out. The home lead was back to 7-1.
     The Bobcats and Oilers each scored once in their respective share of the 7th inning. In the top of the inning, Alex Reiman led off with a walk Jake Pewitt singled. They were sacrificed bunted to third and second base respectively. Reiman scored on an RBI sacrifice fly by Tyler Bernard. In the bottom of the inning, Edge led off with a double and Morris followed with a walk. Two pop outs later they were both still in place when Hardin reached on an error that loaded the bases. Edge came in on a wild pitch during the next at bat. The 7th inning ended with the Oilers leading 8-2.
     The home team took that score into the top of the 9th inning determined to hold on to it, and the Bobcats were determined to erase. it. Marion made the last visiting at bat uncomfortably interesting from the home perspective -- stringing together four singles in the first five at bats of the frame. Reiman, on by way of a fielder's choice, scored on a RBI single by Bernard. A double play provided the Oilers with the final two outs that set the score at 8-3 in favor of the home team.
     Starter Shane Weedman picked up the Owensboro win. Bobcat starter James Dyer took the loss.