Melz leads Carver to a big win over Winsted

WINSTED – It was a night to remember for Carver’s Bailey Melz. In their second to last game of the regular season, Melz carried the load for the Black Sox in their matchup with the Winsted Wildcats leading them to an 8-1 bounce-back win July 20.

Whether with the bat or on the mound, Melz had his impact on the game. After Winsted got the leadoff batter on with an error in the first inning, Melz then retired the next 15 batters he faced including striking out five in a row. He took a no-hitter into the sixth inning on his way to picking up the win. In eight total innings of work, Melz allowed one run of three hits while striking out 12 and walking none.

He was just as good at the plate for the Black Sox out of the leadoff spot. He finished the game going 4-for-5 with a double and two RBI to spark the offense.

Pitching had the upper hand early on but it was the Black Sox who broke through as the game went. Neither team had a hit through the first four innings but Carver broke through in the fifth. Andrew Weber beat out a routine groundball to second to open the inning with an infield single. With one out and Weber at third, Paul Door got the Black Sox on the board with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0 Carver.

The Black Sox would add three more runs in the sixth, one more in the seventh and eighth innings, and two more in the ninth inning to pull away for the win.

Brandt Pulzak and Weber also had multi-hit days for the Black Sox in the win. Weber finished with three hits and three RBI while Pulzak had two hits, two RBI, and two runs scored.

For Winsted, Alex Heimerl, Leighton Buhr, Jack Stutsman, and Brayden Hollister each had one hit in the loss. Buhr also took the loss on the mound for the Wildcats after returning the first nine batters of the game. He went six innings allowing four runs off six hits while striking out four and walking one.

With the win, Carver improved to 8-10 on the regular season and in a tie with Brownton in the league standings. Winsted wrapped up league play with a 5-14 record with the loss.

Follow Kip Kovar on Twitter – @Kovar_HJSports