Damien and Donovan Ferguson both played huge roles in FBC's first round Kids Pitch Post-Season Tournament baseball game, a game which ended on a walk off base hit by Drake Jeffries, scoring Trevor Edwards from second base with the winning run in a thrilling 4-3 victory over the power-packed Kiwanis club. The victory officially is the team's sixth in a row, leaving them with an overall record of 10-7.
Donovan Ferguson made the defensive play of the game in the top of the first inning, a game which featured several defensive gems. Donovan was playing right center field when the powerful Elijah Schlabach came to the plate with nobody on and 2 outs. Elijah turned on a fastball from Drake Jeffries that rocketed into right field. Donovan, who has been practicing fly balls lately with his brothers and dad, got a really good jump on the ball. He ran to his left, getting his glove on the ball, and he just missed making a spectacular shoestring catch. Schlabach raced toards second base, but even his speed was no match for what followed. Suddenly, and seemingly possessed by the spirit of the great Hall of Famer and right fielder with a cannon of an arm for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Roberto Clemente, Donovan picked up the ball, turned and fired a strike all the way on a line into second base where his older brother, Damien Ferguson, stood, waiting to catch the missile. The ball arrived so quickly and it was launched so perfectly that the play was anticlimactic. It wasn't even close. Schlabach was easily out as Damien tagged the oncoming runner, whose look of stunned disbelief told the whole story.
Damien Ferguson took the momentum with him into the bottom of the first inning. sending a full count fastball over the head of the shortstop for a single. Damien then stole second and third base with Drake Jeffries at the plate. Damien's nifty base running put FBC ahead 1-0. Damien did not run into an out, but instead, he held at third when the ball hit by Jeffries was fielded by the pitcher. Schlabach threw to first to nip Jeffries for the second out of the inning, and when Damien saw the throw going into first base, he raced for home. The return throw home actually beat Damien to the plate, but Damien made a great slide, avoiding the tag for the first run of the game.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fourth inning when Kiwanis took a 1 run lead. Trevor Edwards was on the mound, having come in to pitch in the top of the third. Edwards found himself getting into trouble as he walked leadoff batter Clayton Hirsch. Preston Hayes lined out to left center fielder Drake Jeffries for out number 1, and Drake's throw back into first base almost doubled off Hirsch. Hirsch then reached third safely on a stolen base and a throwing error by catcher Skyler Hood. Elijah Schlabach walked and stole second, putting runners at second and third. Cayden Collings singled into center field to plate Hirsch as Schlabach was held up at third base, putting runners at the corner. Nathan Ray followed with a walk to load the bases. Time was asked for and granted, and Damien Ferguson was brought in from shortstop to relieve Edwards with the bases loaded, 1 out and the game on the line. And then came a brief moment of controversy.
Ethan Carmean came to the plate, and Damien Ferguson fell behind 2-0. He then followed with 2 quick strikes to even the count at 2-2. The batter was standing in the batter's box, and Damien did as he has been taught: He pitched the ball. Time had not been called for, and neither had it been granted. So when Damien saw the batter standing in the batter's box and not looking, Damien threw a pitch. The umpire was ready, and in fact, he was preparing to call strike 3 and ring up the batter. It was then that the third base coach (and member of the board, by the way) complained to the umpire that Damien had "quick-pitched" the batter, and that time should have been called. The umpire, who was a young teenage boy, obviously was intimidated by an adult (and member of the board, by the way), so he reversed himself and ruled the ball a "no pitch." So instead of Damien striking out the batter, which is what should have happened because a pitch is not a "no pitch" in hindsight, but can only be ruled a "no pitch" by the umpire at the time it is delivered, Damien ended up walking the batter, forcing in the go-ahead run from third base. But Damien did not let the call bother him, and he bore down, striking out Gavin Bennett on a back door, 2 seam fastball for out number 2. He then induced Brody Shook to ground out to third baseman Brayton Sparrow, who fielded the ball and stepped on third for the final out of the inning. FBC tied the score at 2 apiece when Drake Jeffries had a 2 out RBI double that drove in Michael Brown from second base. Brown had reached second after being issued a leadoff walk and stealing.
Kiwanis threatened with 2 outs in the top of the fifth inning, but they failed to score, leaving runners stranded at first and second. Damien got Preston Hayes to line out to second baseman Dalton Stephens to end the inning. FBC took the lead in the bottom of the fifth. Dalton Armes led off with a single into center field, and Brayton Sparrow joined his teammate on base when he was hit by a pitch. Joseph Rader went down swinging for out number 1, bringing up Donovan "Roberto" Ferguson. Donovan fell behind no balls and 2 strikes, his second strike being a ball that just landed foul down the first base line. With 2 strikes on him, Donovan protected the plate, going with the pitch, and lining an outside corner fastball into right field for a double, scoring Armes, whose slide at home just beat the tag, putting FBC up 3-2. FBC could not muster anything more, however, and the inning ended with Donovan and Brayton stranded on base, bringing up the exciting sixth and final inning.
Drake Jeffries went back to the mound with his team clinging to a 1 run lead, and the heart of the Kiwanis order coming to the plate. Elijah Schlabach led off with a single into center field. He did not stay there long, however, as Cayden Collings' double deep into left field tied the score 3-3. Jeffries then struck out the next 3 batters as battery mate Donovan Ferguson held onto the foul tip third strike off the bat of Gavin Bennett to end the inning for Kiwanis, and bringing up the top of the batting order for FBC. Trevor Edwards was plunked hard on the helmet as Schlabach resumed pitching duties for Kiwanis, but Edwards bounced up immediately, and sprinted to first base unfazed. Damien Ferguson, who has been very good in the clutch for FBC lately, came to bat, but he fell behind 0-2. It looked as if he was going to do it again as he blasted a pitch down the third base line, but it was not meant to be this time. Nathan Ray made a great shoestring catch of the ball, robbing Damien of extra bases and another walk off hit, and momentarily saving the game for Kiwanis. This brought up Drake Jeffries. Trevor stole second to move into scoring position, and the count went full. I was suprised the Kiwanis coach did not elect to just go ahead and walk Drake at that point, but he chose not to, and Drake came through, sending the next pitch into center field as Edwards raced safely home with the winning run.
Drake Jeffries and Donovan Ferguson were awarded game balls at the conclusion of the game.
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