GRIFFITH, Ind. – The Griffith Generals had a scrappy effort against the Lake County Corn Dogs in a 7-5 loss. The Generals trailed 5-0 early in the game but got within one run by the late innings. Griffith also played a clean game defensively, logging no errors for just the second time this season.
Despite the loss, Haron Abuelhija pitched a solid six innings for the Generals, giving up all his five runs with two outs in the second inning. The Corn Dogs strung together seven consecutive baserunners without recording an out to put Abuelhija on the ropes early, but he pieced together four scoreless innings after a rough second, leaving the game with his team only trailing by one.
The hero of the night for the Generals was Mark Ross, who did just about everything you could ask a player to do on a baseball field. He started the game in right field, a position he had yet to play this season, and played solid defense. In the eighth, he came in to pitch in relief of a shorthanded Griffith pitching staff, and he retired all six of the batters he faced on weak contact. He also led off the eighth inning with a single up the middle and scored a run to put the Generals in arm’s reach of a comeback.
“I just tried to put the ball over the plate and trust my defense behind me,” said Ross on his unorthodox role tonight. Regarding his big hit in the eighth, he “stayed focused and let the ball travel.”
Head coach Peter Romsek was thrilled with the effort from his utility man, mentioning Ross had been waiting for a situation like the one he was presented with tonight: “He’s been asking for an opportunity. He’s talked about it with his school, and he did exactly what we needed him to do. Got a lot of weak contact quick in the count. He did a nice job coming in for us and just gettin’ it done.”
The Generals will look to get back in the win column against the Indiana Panthers tomorrow at 7:10 p.m.