Published: May 14, 2008 01:09 am         

Controversial HR helps Panthers beat Comets

Sophomore Wolf holds fifth-ranked Caston to two hits in 5-3 win.

FULTON — The outcome of Tuesday’s rivalry game between Pioneer and Class A No. 5 Caston hinged on a controversial call in the top of the sixth inning.

With the Comets leading 3-1 and a Pioneer runner on first base, Jim Smith hit a deep fly ball to left field. Left-fielder Elliot Rowe appeared to rob Smith of a home run but slammed into the outfield wall and fell to the ground. The umpires ruled Rowe dropped the ball and Smith rounded the bases for an inside-the-park home run, and the Panthers went on to win 5-3.

Rowe, who was knocked unconscious on the play and was sent to the hospital for precautionary reasons during the game, said before leaving for the hospital he was told he caught the ball.

“I caught the ball because they said that the center fielder (Evan Pulliam) pulled it out of my glove when I fell, so I had it,” Rowe said. “It knocked me out because all I remember is seeing the ball hit in the air and the next thing I remember they were helping me up, that’s it.”

“I thought he caught it and kind of showed it as he was kind of staggering,” Caston coach Blake Mollenkopf said, “and then obviously he dropped his glove and the ball when he fell.

“I thought Elliot gave a great effort, went and caught the baseball and made a nice play. We throw it in and double it off... That was my opinion, still is my opinion.”

Pioneer coach Dick Farrer saw the play differently.

“Tough call, but they made the right call on that,” he said. “No one knows but the rule is, if you don’t show the ball, you didn’t catch it if all the umpires see is a kid runs over from center and pick its up. So obviously he didn’t catch it. It was on the ground. It was laying out about three or four feet from him.”

Later in the sixth inning, a two-out error by Caston right-fielder Austin Ault allowed the inning to continue and JD Bridge made the Comets pay with a two-run double to regain the lead for the Panthers.

Pioneer sophomore right-hander Doryn Wolf (1-1) held Caston to three runs, none earned, on just two hits to pick up the first win of his varsity career. He fanned six and walked three.

“I finally feel healthy enough to throw and I came out here and gave it everything I got,” said Wolf, who said a biceps injury on his throwing arm that occurred while lifting for football had bothered him earlier in the season. “(Caston is) a really tough team. I just pitched my heart out I guess and just had my team behind my back.”

Pioneer jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an RBI single by Carson Weaver. Caston scored three unearned runs in the fourth inning with the help of errors by second baseman Braxton VanArsdale and first baseman Cody Conn, two walks and an RBI single by Pulliam who had both the Comets’ hits in the contest.

“We’ve just got to get our confidence back going,” Mollenkopf said. “A lot of high school athletics is just confidence. We faced two very fine pitchers at Frontier (Saturday) and tonight we didn’t get rolling early and then the longer you don’t roll, the more pressure, the more harder you squeeze the bat. Things just get tougher for them. Mentally we’ve just got to get better and relax and have good approaches at the plate and finish.”

Caston starter Matt Turnpaugh (4-2) went the distance and allowed five runs, three earned, on six hits, striking out six and walking four.

“In the last week we’ve beat two out of the top 10 teams,” Farrer said, “so we feel like we’re getting some momentum going and in spite of people out or not we’re getting some confidence going.

“We come out here, were minus another key player. (Mitchell) Petrie’s out. He just had a shoulder operation today. One of our main hitters. We lost (Austin Kiser) to a shoulder separation too. So we go out here and have four sophomores and a freshman start this game. They battled and battled.”

Pioneer hosts top-ranked Frontier for a MWC doubleheader Saturday while Caston travels to Rochester Thursday before hosting North White for a MWC twinbill Saturday.