Lake Myrtle, FL - With the bases loaded and the game tied 5-5 in the top of the ninth, the Vassar Brewers stole a run with a trick play to take a 6-5 lead over the Cairn Highlanders. After a pitch from Nathan Wilson, Vassar's runner at second fell down between second and third. With the runner on the ground, Wilson threw to second to nab the runner. When he released the ball the runner from third broke from the plate and slide in for the eventual game winning run.

Brendan Keller singled in the bottom of the ninth, but the Highlanders were unable to push him across eventually falling 6-5.

Sam Dralle started for the Highlanders and went six innings with 10 strikeouts, allowing three runs (one earned) on three hits. Dralle's 10 punch-outs on Wednesday are his most in a single-game in his career.

The contest started as a pitcher's dual between Dralle and Vassar's Jake Silver. The two hurlers did not allow a base runner until the bottom of the third when Andrew Philips singled to shortstop to start a three-run rally. After the Philips single, the Highlanders took advantage of three Brewers' errors to score three runs.

With Philips on first, Brendan Keller walked on four pitches to set up a double steal that put two in scoring position for Jacob Allen. Allen knocked a singled up the middle to score Cairn's first run of the day. Keller then scored on an errant pick off attempt and Allen later scored on a fielding error by the shortstop to put Cairn up 3-0.

In the fourth, Dralle hung another zero on the board and Cairn went back to work in the fourth. Cam Kantner led off the frame with an opposite field double, but was thrown out trying to stretch the two-bagger into a triple. Keith LeNoue then reached on an error by the second baseman, but two strikeouts ended the frame without a run.

In the top half of the fifth, the Brewers got their offense going. A hit batsman and a single put runners on the corner for Vassar with two away. The Brewers then singled to score there first
run. Dralle and the Highlanders looked like they were out of the inning with a two-run lead when Eric Strickland hit a fly ball to right-center, but a fielding error allowed two runs to score. Dralle then punched out the next batter looking, but the Brewers had tied the game.

After a quick bottom half of the fifth and a tidy sixth, the Highlanders replaced Dralle with Matt Trotman. Vassar put two runners on against Trotman, but the junior did not break and struck out Strickland for the final out of the frame stranding runners on second and third.

With the scored tied 3-3, both teams would connect with two-run hits in the eighth. First it was Vassar lacing a two-run double to left-center off reliever Nathan Wilson. Wilson was able to limit the damage and work out of the frame while stranding two runners on the sacks.

In the bottom of the eighth, the Highlanders plated two runs off a single from Emilio Alvarez with one away. The Highlanders had loaded the bases with two singles and a walk before Alvarez served a 1-2 slider down the right-field line for the two-run single. Cairn could not connect for more as a fielder's choice ended the frame.

In the top half of the ninth, the Brewers loaded the bases with a single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch before the trick play caught Cairn off guard. With one away, Connor Levchuck strayed away from second base and hit the dirt. While Cairn tried to tag Levchuck out, Eric Strickland dashed from third to home to score the eventual game-winning run.

While Wilson once again limited the damage with a strikeout and groundout to end the frame, Vassar had taken a 6-5 lead.

In the bottom half of the inning, Brendan Keller singled down the third base line with one away, but was a part of a strike him out, throw him out double-play that ended the game.

While Cairn played a much cleaner game defensively (one error vs. five errors for Vassar), Cairn's error resulted in two unearned runs while the five gaffs from the Brewers led to just one run for the Highlanders.

Cairn will have a relatively quick turnaround, as they take the field tomorrow morning against Framingham State at 9:15 a.m.