水果派AV

Despite giving the Elmira Pioneers multiple chances to tie or take the lead, the D'days held on for an 8-7 win at Falcon Park on Thursday.聽

It was manager Dan Shwam鈥檚 first home win, and third overall, in his first season leading the Auburn team. It's now 3-1, but Shwam has noticed a trend that may put Auburn in trouble down the line.

鈥淲e jump on teams, and we coast,鈥� he told 水果派AV. 鈥淲e've done it so far between four games. Even in the game that we lost to Geneva we were ahead, then we decided to coast and they beat us.鈥�

On the mound Thursday, Owen Birchard pitched his first outing with the D'days after wrapping up his baseball career with the Auburn Maroons. Shwam said Birchard was experiencing some 鈥渏itters,鈥� which may have led to control issues. He聽walked four batters in the second inning, allowing Elmira to take an early 2-0 lead. However, he limited the damage by retiring two in a row to get out of the inning.

The D'days had their pitcher鈥檚 back in the bottom of the inning as Alex Sandell, Dalton Groves, Brandon Hoftijzer and Skylar Mays each drove in one run to take a two-run lead.聽

Elmira put runners in scoring position again in the third and fourth inning, but the former Maroon bounced back to get out of each inning unblemished.聽

After Andrew Catron took over on the bump in the fifth, the Pioneers tacked on a run off a double to trim Auburn鈥檚 lead to one run.

The D鈥檇ays did not wait long to respond.聽Hoftijzer led off the inning with an inside-the-park home run after Elmira鈥檚 center fielder lost sight of the ball in the air. Then, with two outs, Zach Bale hit a two-RBI double to grow the D鈥檇ays鈥� lead to four. Avery Doezie capped off the inning by forcing a throwing error from the pitcher to first base, adding another run.聽

After going scoreless in the sixth, the Pioneers prepared a comeback attempt in the seventh and eighth. Elmira would score two runs in each inning to cut its deficit to one heading into the final frame.

Josh Henderson slowed Elmira鈥檚 momentum in the eighth inning with a pair of strikeouts, and he looked to do the same in the ninth. Following a strikeout to begin the inning, a hit-by-pitch and stolen base led to Elmira having a runner in scoring position. Unrattled, Henderson struck out the final two batters he faced to seal the home win for Auburn.

鈥�(Henderson) got himself right and he did a good job,鈥� Shwam said. 鈥淗e's a little side-arm, sweeper guy. So if you don't see him a lot, he's deceiving.鈥澛�

The D'days were able to find their command as the game progressed, but Shwam knows his team will not always be afforded that opportunity without seeing consequences in the future.聽

鈥淲hen you're not throwing strikes, you give the other team hope,鈥� he said. 鈥淵ou let them hang around and it's like the old saying, 鈥楬ang around, hang around, soon you won't be around.鈥�"