Team Rudi splits Legion opener

Trailing 11-4 after five innings in the first game of the twinbill, Baker scored 15 runs on 10 hits in the sixth inning to post a 19-12 win.

Gilbert Auto bounced back to take the nightcap 5-3.

“We did some good things at times,” said Team Rudi coach Dan Blankenship.

“But you could tell we’d been off since the high school state playoffs. I pitched four pitchers today and none of them had pitched in about a month.”

Steven Talbot led Baker’s big inning with a three-run home run and a bases-loaded walk for an other RBI.

Matt Gorrell had a pair of RBI doubles, Justin Durflinger and Derek Blankenship a two-run double each, Trace Richardson a run-scoring double and Trevor Freese an RBI single.

Team Rudi fell behind 6-0 after one inning. Freese’s RBI single in the second cut the deficit to 6-1.

Then, trailing 9-1, Talbot laced a two-run double, and Blankenship a sacrifice fly to pull Baker within 9-4 in the top of the fifth.

Freese finished with four hits and a pair of RBIs. Talbot added two hits and six RBIs.

Jesse Brown, Blankenship, Gorrell, Richardson and Coleman Lay each added two hits.

Lay got the win in relief of Will Barr.

In Game 2, Richardson’s RBI single gave Team Rudi a 1-0 lead in the top of the second.

Then, after Gilbert Auto tied the game in the bottom of the inning, Blankenship’s two-run double gave Team Rudi a 3-1 edge in the third.

Gilbert Auto added two runs in both the fourth and sixth innings.

Durflinger suffered the loss in relief of Ty Everson. Everson, who pitched the first four innings, was seeing his first action since breaking his collarbone during the high school season.

Team Rudi (1-1) hosts Burns in a doubleheader today at 2 p.m. at the Baker Sports Complex.

First game

Team Rudi    0    1    0    0    3    15    0    —    19

Gilbert Auto    6    0    2    1    2    1    0    —    12

Barr, Lay (4) and Gorrell. Zyph, Van Pelt (6), Alger (6), James (6) and Merriman. WP – Lay. LP – Zyph.

Team Rudi hits – Brown 2, Talbot 2, Blankenship 2, Gorrell 2, Richardson 2, Barr, Lay 2, Durflinger, Freese 4.

Team Rudi RBI – Talbot 6, Blankenship 3, Gorrell 2, Richardson, Durflinger 2, Freese 2.

2B – Talbot, Gorrell 2, Richardson, Durflinger, Blankenship. HR – Talbot.

Second game

Team Rudi    0    1    2    0    0    0    0    —    3

Gilbert Auto    0    1    0    2    0    2    x    —    5

Everson, Durflinger (5) and Gorrell. Livesay, Wallace (5) and Picard. WP – Livesay. LP – Durflinger.

Team Rudi hits – Brown, Talbot, Blankenship, Richardson, Everson, Freese.

Team Rudi RBI – Richardson, Blankenhip 2.

2B – Blankenship.