Ben Reeser earned the win in game one of the Orange and Blue World Series, tossing four strong innings as the Orange squad won, 3-2.
FROM CBB NEWS SOURCE
Reeser Earns Win with 4 Strong Innings; Johnson Drives in Pair
The Orange squad topped the Blue, 3-2, in five innings, in the opener of the annual Orange and Blue World Series, thanks to four strong innings of work by starter Ben Reeser and a scoreless inning by Mike Sterk, who earned the save. Catcher Aaron Johnson drove in two runs and all three tallies came from the Nos. 1-3 hitters, Josh Parr, Joe Bonadonna and Dominic Altobelli.
The Orange got on the board first when Johnson lifted a fly ball to the gap in the first inning with runners on second and third. Center fielder Craig Lutes made a diving catch and managed to flip the ball to right fielder Nick Stockwell, but both runners were able to score for an early 2-0 lead.
The Blue squad fought back with a pair of runs in the top of the third off Reeser, but the Orange retook the lead in the bottom half with a single tally.
Reeser earned the win in giving up just one earned run on five hits with three strikeouts in four innings of work. Sterk notched the save despite giving up two hits in the fifth. Phil Haig took the loss for the Blue, giving up three runs on four hits in three innings, striking out four. Blake Fairchild tossed a scoreless fourth inning for the Blue, striking out a pair.
Offensively for the Blue, Mike Giller was 2-for-2 with a walk and a run, while Casey McMurray and Craig Lutes each were 1-for-3, with Lutes knocking a double.
The teams continue the series Tuesday at 4 p.m. at Illinois Field.
