MINDEN -- Douglas American Legion's home opener against the Reno Knights was one for the books.
Douglas ended up with a forfeit win after Knights coach Pete Savage pulled his team off the field with a 2-0 lead and one out in the top of the seventh after being ejected by plate umpire Nate White for arguing about a re-entry rule. Savage bumped White and cursed at the young umpire during the altercation.
The argument came after Reno's designated hitter Ben Colton singled with one out in the seventh. Out came Douglas coach John Glover, who pointed out to White that he believed Colton wasn't eligible to bat because he'd already been subbed for once.
"I didn't think it was legal," Glover said. "I knew he wasn't supposed to be there."
Glover was partially right. When pitcher Jeff Schoenbachler ran for Colton in the fifth inning, it eliminated the designated hitter from the lineup, and forced the pitcher to bat in that position for the rest of the game. Colton was eligible to come back into the game because he was a starter. It meant that when Colton came to the plate in the seventh, relief pitcher Chris Rickey, who fanned five in two innings of work, would not be able to return to the mound.
Savage didn't see it that way.
"He (Savage) was trying to tell me that I was wrong," said White, who also handled another difficult call correctly during the contest which Savage also argued. White said that Savage was arguing that he could still have a 10-man lineup. Wrong coach.
Forfeit aside, Glover was impressed with the work of starting pitcher Chris Honer, who scattered 10 hits over six innings and allowed single runs in the first and fifth innings. Honer made key pitches in clutch situations, as the Knights left 11 runners on base.
"Chris pitched his butt off," Glover said. "The hits were spread out.
"I thought we struck out too much. We have to do a better job of making contact."
Indeed. Schoenbachler fanned seven in four innings, and Rickey fanned five in two innings. From the third to the fifth, Reno pitchers struck out the side.
Douglas got a runner to third in the first, but Schoenbachler retired Bryan Miller and Brandon Huff to end the inning. In the third, Jake Nielsen walked and stole second with one out. Schoenbachler fanned the next two hitters to end the threat.
The last threat came in the fourth. Huff doubled to left with one out. Brandon Silveira tried once to bunt him over, and then struck out. Schoenbachler came up with two strikeouts to end the threat.
Glover said he toyed with the idea of having Silveira bunt even if the count got to two strikes.
"He's our fifth hitter," Glover said. "I wanted to give him a chance to hit."
That set the stage for the seventh, and the bizarre ending to what had been a well-played game on both sides.
