Little League Baseball: Marker powers Brunswick

BRUNSWICK -- When Brunswick's James Marker took the hill Friday against Four County, he was eager to overcome a second round defeat last year as a member of Brunswick's 9/10 Little League team.

Brunswick manager Jason Cooper hoped to get four innings or so out of Marker.

Instead, Cooper watched as his team fought off the heat to put together one of their most complete games of the year.

Marker went the distance on the mound with nine strikeouts while the imposing right-hander allowed two baserunners, leading Brunswick to a 6-0 win in the opening round of the District 2 10/11 Little League Tournament.

"'Stumpy' did a good job on the mound for us," Cooper said. "First pitch strikes were key because they were taking until they got a strike."

"I really just tried to pound the zone because I knew they didn't like the outside corners," Marker said.

With 72 pitches, Marker will not be able to throw for three days. He began to tire late in the game, but battled through the heat.

"It got hot out there," Marker said. "The ball was getting wet with sweat and it was kind of hard to grip it."

Brunswick advances to face the winner of Frederick National and Westminster on Sunday evening at 5 p.m. at a yet-to-be-determined location.

Marker far from resembles his nickname of "Stumpy" given to him by his father. In fact, Marker is closer to six feet tall and features a powerful fastball to compliment his changeup.

Marker faced one batter above the minimum as he allowed just one hit -- a second-inning single by Jonathan Money. Money was later caught in a strike-em' out, throw-em' out double play to end the inning.

Marker sat down the next 11 he faced before issuing a four-pitch walk to Cameron Renehan in the sixth inning. Cooper chatted with Marker before he settled down to retire the last two hitters, clinching the victory.

Brunswick took a 2-0 lead in the first as Tyler Polesky (two hits) scored from second on an error and Marker -- who was intentionally walked -- scored from second on Lucas Stroud's double.

Eric Fields doubled the score in the third inning on a bouncer that hopped over third baseman James Bossard's head, scoring George Auel and Stroud.

Brunswick added their final runs in the top of the fifth inning as Marker belted a two-run homer to center field that bounced off of the flagpole. Marker was met at the plate by his teammates, who mobbed him.

"That was awesome," Marker said. "I hit the flagpole. My teammates were pretty excited. They ripped my helmet off."

"He got into that one," Cooper said. "He's been hitting them like that all year long."

A year ago, Brunswick fell by the 10-run rule against Four County. Cooper agreed that Friday's win was retribution for most of those players from that team.

"It's been stuck in a lot of these kids' minds from last year," Cooper said.

Four County will be working towards a rematch in the double-elimination tournament as they face Thurmont Sunday at 5 p.m.

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