Drury Baseball Rallies Past Brattleboro

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The Drury baseball team got the spark it needed Tuesday afternoon in the bottom of the sixth inning to come back and take a 4-3 win over Brattleboro, Vt., in the Blue Devils' season opener at Alcombright Field.

 

The Devils trailed, 3-1, after five tough innings; they struggled to get on base and defensively small errors led to Brattleboro bringing in three runs to take the the lead in the top of the third.

 

"Innings one through five I don't think we were mentally here," Drury coach Pat Boulger said. "Fortunately for our program our seniors came together, they got them huddled up and said enough is enough we have to get it together and win this ball game."

 

And it was senior Kirby Bryce who got things going for Drury in the bottom of the sixth. The bases were loaded with two outs; Bryce was on third when Brattleboro's catcher took a bounce off the chest that opened the doors for Bryce to come home, putting them behind one run.

 

But it was junior Kody Crosier who closed it for Drury; he started it at the plate hitting a shot to deep center field driving in Shayne Garvey and Thaylen Harrison to take a 4-3 lead. He finished it on the mound, taking over as the third Drury pitcher after starter Schuyler Robinson and Jake Tatro.

 

Crosier came out in the top of the seventh, throwing two strikeouts and allowing just one batter to make contact -- a grounder to Tatro at third that sealed the Devils' first win of the year.

 

"Jake Tatro to his credit came in and pitched three solid innings of hard situational baseball," Boulger said. "Robinson didn't have his best stuff today, mechanically he had some problems and he didn't feel quite right

 

"But of course Kody Crosier comes in at the end, he's a luxury to have."

 

This is just the beginning for the Blue Devils, who coach Boulger feels there is still a lot to put together.

 

"Physically we have the team to do some nice things, but we will be a mediocre team at best if we keep playing mentally soft the way we did today," he said."

 

Drury (1-0) hosts Taconic on Wednesday at Alcombright field.