The STLCC Archers defeated the Lewis and Clark Trailblazers, 7-2, on Sunday, Sept. 4, at Busch Stadium.
Spencer Gleason
-Sports Editor-
The STLCC Archers defeated the Lewis and Clark Trailblazers, 7-2, on Sunday, Sept. 4, at Busch Stadium just moments after the St. Louis Cardinals lost in extra innings to the Cincinnati Reds.
The day was filled with baseball, as both the Archers and Trailblazers, along with family and friends were treated to a Cardinals and Reds 10-inning baseball game before they took the field and stood in the same spots as Albert Pujols or Cincinnati’s own Brandon Phillips.
Archer head coach Tony Dattoli, now 7-1 when coaching games at Busch Stadium, was able to manage from the same dugout as Tony LaRussa. His fail-proof plan to make sure all his players get the opportunity to play on the major league field sent 18 pitchers to the pitcher’s mound and rotated three defensive groups. Dattoli was able to play all, but a few, of his 47 ballplayers.
“Everybody played,” Dattoli said after the 7-2 victory. “We had a couple guys that were injured that were unable to play… We’re lucky and fortunate again that we got everybody in.”
The Archers and Trailblazers ran out of their two and a half hour time limit and were forced to stop play after the eighth inning, but the Archers’ runs had already been scored in plenty. Although, the scoreboard read 6-2, the missed run by the scoreboard keeper didn’t play in the outcome as the Archers had seven runners cross home plate.
Scoring first, the Archers plated two runs in the second inning and added three more in the bottom half of the third. They never looked back, tacking on two more runs in the later innings.
The Trailblazer’s lineup never found themselves in a groove, as two runs was all they could muster against the ever-changing Archer pitchers.
“We know it’s exhibition,” Dattoli said. “But anytime the first pitch is thrown out—it’s about winning. Obviously we hope the guys enjoy their experience, but it’s a lot nicer when you’re on the winning side.”
