GRIFFITH, Ind. – It was another sloppy, shorthanded ball game for Elkhart County Miracle pitching, as they walked a whopping 16 Griffith Generals, topping their total of 11 from last night. The hometown Generals walked it off in a 7-6 victory that inched them closer to a playoff spot. It’s the second Griffith walk-off against the Miracle this season, the first since June 17.
The Elkhart County starter Bryce Trail was in position for the win, as he pitched five innings of three-hit ball, walking seven batters but only allowing two hits. The Generals trailed the whole ball game until Adrian Swiech tied the game 6-6 on an RBI double in the eighth off of Ethan Lengfelder. The Miracle reliever had to shoulder the load for a deflated pitching staff, as he was hung out to dry in 3.1 innings pitched, allowing five hits and nine walks in his losing effort.
The final push by the Generals started with another piece of masterful baserunning by Mark Ross. He drew a leadoff walk in the ninth and then swiped second base after multiple pickoff attempts. Soon after, the bases were loaded with one out for Jordan Landkrohn.
After an RBI triple in the eighth to put the Generals within one, Landkrohn said he was “just trying to do my best to help the team win and stay disciplined. Made sure [Lengfelder] threw a strike, got a pitch to drive, and gave [Ross] a chance to score.” Landkrohn hit a chopper on the ground to shortstop to get the runners in motion. Dawson Willis bobbled the ball just enough for Landkrohn to leg out an RBI single to win the game, resulting in a mobbing by his teammates.
Ryan Jemar is now 3-0 as the Generals interim manager. He prided his team on another victory, citing more discipline on offense: “We were very selective at the plate again. Struggled defensively with four errors, but offense picked us up. Took walks, stole bases, that’s our M.O. Turn singles into doubles and triples, and try and score.”
The Generals are one step closer to a playoff spot after back-to-back wins against the Miracle. However, they have a tough test tomorrow as the first-place Lake County Corn Dogs come to town. The Generals are 0-7 against the reigning champs. Griffith will try to get the crucial win tomorrow at 7:10 p.m.