Union's Rich has Badgers' number

By Mike Hackworth

(Updated: Wednesday, April 30, 2008, 5:02 PM)

The Yosemite High School baseball team played Washington Union in the teams' third and final meeting of the 2008 season Friday in Easton and once again came up on the short end of the scoreboard, losing 6-4.

Yosemite has not defeated the Panthers since March of 2006, losing seven straight games. In two of the losses this season, the Panthers' Andrew Rich has been on the mound and has found ways to win.

In Friday's contest, Rich dodged trouble in the second and sixth and with the Badgers' help, and then got out of a mess in the seventh inning.

The Panthers put four runs on the board against Yosemite's Jesse Lownsbury (2-1) in the first two innings, but could not get to the left-hander again until the bottom of the sixth when they scored a run.

Yosemite rang up four runs in the third on a bases-loaded triple by Spencer McConnell and a double by Danny Noll to tie the game.

Washington scored a run in the sixth to retake the lead.

But in the seventh, with two on, two out and Michael Thompson (13 RBIs) at the plate, Cody Essary was picked off first base by Rich to end the game.