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Danford puts ball in play — and Tigers in district

Marietta High was in good shape when the right-handed-swinging Isaac Danford stepped into the batter’s box in the bottom of the eighth inning of Thursday’s D2 sectional final against visiting Warren High at Legion Field.

No one else on the Tigers’ squad had hit the ball harder in the game and had little to show for it than the junior shortstop.

Earlier, in his first at-bat, Danford, with teammate Turner Hill on second base, blasted a southpaw-throwing Tanner Neal pitch to deep left. The ball looked at first like it might clear fielder Chase Weihl’s head.

But wait a minute, the 6-foot-6 Weihl was able to stretch with his long left arm and make the catch while running towards the fence.

Tough break for Danford and the Tigers, because Hill would’ve scored easily.

Danford singled to center to lead off Marietta’s five-run fourth inning, which put the Tigers up, 5-2. (MHS would eventually go on to win it, 6-5 in 8 innings.)

In his third at-bat, he barely ticked the ball in front of the plate, and was immediately tagged out by Warren catcher Jake Davis. Don’t see that very often, a backstop making an unassisted putout.

With two outs, two on, and the score tied at 5-all in the sixth, Danford — now facing righty reliever Weihl — drilled a left-center field shot that had extra bases written all over it. But racing over to make a nice one-handed grab was left fielder Neal.

Robbed again.

Danford had to be shaking his head in disbelief.

In baseball, as every player and fan knows, a batter can smack the cover off the ball but right at a fielder. Other times, the batter can bloop it or chop it and get credit for a hit.

Now, with two Tiger baserunners on (Hill and Trent Dawson) and two outs in the first extra inning, Danford was in a position of driving in the game-winning run.

Well, he did — kind of.

But it won’t show up in the scorebook as a game-winning run-batted-in.

Danford hit a Weihl delivery sharply to the right side of the Warriors’ infield but also right at the second baseman, who was not able to field it. When the ball rolled into short right field, Hill, who was running with two outs, rounded third base and legged it home for the sectional title-winner.

“I just wanted to put the ball in play and hopefully get Turner in,” said Danford afterwards.

Mission accomplished, and now third-seeded MHS (20-7 overall) will advance and play the second-seeded and seventh-ranked Lancaster Fairfield Union Falcons (21-7) in a district semi in Athens at 7 p.m. Monday night.

It really didn’t matter to Danford whether he was credited with a basehit or not, or even an RBI. The only significant stat (or letter) was the “W” and the fact that in the process the Tigers had extended their baseball spring in postseason tournament play.

Ron Johnston is a Marietta Times sports writer and can be reached (740)373-2121, x534, or at rjohnston@mariettatimes.com

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