Bluefield Orioles season opens with a doubleheader

By DAVE COX/Staff

BLUEFIELD- The extra day’s wait for the Bluefi eld Orioles baseball season to start proved fruitful for Bluefi eld fans as they watched their team take both ends of a doubleheader against visiting Bristol last Wednesday evening at Bowen Field. The Birds survived a close 4-3 win in the eight inning opener and out-slugged the White Sox 14-8 in the seven inning nightcap.

Pitching dominated the start of the fi rst game as the Orioles were held without a hit through its first 14 batters by Bristol starting pitcher Gregory Infante. By that time, the BriSox had taken a 1-0 lead, courtesy of a fi rst inning tally. The fi fth inning proved to be the one that started Bluefield on its way to its initial victory of the season.

Jacob Julius walked after Infante forced the fi rst two Oriole batters of the inning into groundouts. Matt Tucker stroked a single to center to break up Infante’s no-hitter. Dustin Black stepped to the plate and hammered a double to right center field to score both Julius and Tucker and give the O’s their fi rst lead of the game. That lead didn’t last long as the visitors tied the contest in the top of the sixth.

Kraig Binick slammed a solo home run for the Birds in the bottom of the sixth to reclaim the lead for the Birds at 3-2. Bristol kept things interesting as the White Sox managed another tie in the top of the seventh frame.

The game went to an extra inning after the Orioles failed to score in their half of the seventh.

A double play by the Birds got them out of the top of the eighth safely and Binick would score the game winner in the bottom of the inning when Bristol relief pitcher Charlis Burdie walked Julius with the bases loaded.

The second game was a sharp contrast to the first one as the Orioles shot out to a 5-0 start in the fi rst inning, highlighted by a 3-run homer by Julius.

Although the Sox managed a tie at 5-5 in the bottom of the third frame, the O’s bounced right back with four tallies in the bottom of the inning to move ahead at 9-5. Jason White had a 2-run double in the inning for Bluefield.

The Orioles added three more runs in the fifth inning and their final two in the sixth and then held off the visitors the rest of the way for the sweep.