By JIM STEELE
mckenzierebels.com

HUNTINGDON - Baseball is a funny game. Some nights go well, some don't.

The same holds true for the McKenzie Rebels as they suffered a 7-4 setback to the host Huntingdon Mustangs Tuesday night and settled for a season split with their District 13A rivals. McKenzie committed four defensive errors and had two baserunning blunders. The winner of the game ball for Huntingdon could have easily been wearing a red jersey.

Still the Rebels remained in the hunt to the very end against a quality baseball club.

McKenzie coach Lynn Yarbrough was animated just 24 hours earlier. Tuesday night, he was a bit unsettled.

"We didn't play real well tonight," he said. "We have to step it up and hustle and when we don't it sends a bad message. But we were still in it."

The Rebels were flummuxed early by Huntingdon starter Blake Burker, a Bethel signee. And he had the advantage of pitching with a lead. Despite giving up a couple of hits in the third, he only faced nine Rebel batters, thanks to a couple of on-base gaffes. The Rebels managed four runs on nine hits against the Mustang right-hander. Burke wasn't just overpowering, only fanning three.

"Burke pitched a good game," said Yarbrough. "We hit him and we sprayed the ball around, but we didn't get hits at the right time."

In the third, Luke Anderson doubled and seemingly scored on Tyler Holt's rope double down the left field line. But Huntingdon alleged that Anderson didn't touch third coming home. The umpires agreed and the run was taken off the board.

The Rebels got a big lift with Derek Carr's two-run blast in the fourth, his second homer and his seventh RBI in as many outings. It could have been a three-run shot had the Rebels not had a baserunner thrown out attempting to steal. McKenzie trailed 3-2 at that point, but could have easily led 4-3.

"Early mistakes cost us," said Yarbrough. "I thought we were a little flat tonight and I am going to have to do a better job getting our players ready to play."

Huntingdon scored two runs on an error, a hit and a sacrifice bunt and McKenzie stater Parker Jones, who woke up with a 102-degree fever Tuesday morning, was pitching from behind. But it was a game Jones could have won. He didn't get a lot of help behind him. Yet he finished the game, threw 109 pitches and struck out six Mustangs and scattered 10 hits.

"Parker pitched well, but we had too many mistakes," the coach said. "They had a lot of seeing-eye hits. If we manage the mistakes we made, it's a different game."

Huntingdon posted one more in the third, two in the fourth and two in the fifth. The Rebels never quit and kept chipping away, but fell in too deep a hole.

In the Rebel fifth, Anderson walked, but was retired at second from Tyler Holt's fielder's choice. Kyle Kirk doubled, Drew Brown was intentionally passed. Jacob Fussell, running for Brown was retired at second and Rusty Chapman's fielder's choice plated Holt. Carr singled in his eighth run in two days and McKenzie trailed 5-4. Huntingdon scored two more in its half of the fifth to lead 7-4.

"I'm not satisfied with a season-split, especially after we beat them 11-1 last night," Yarbrough said. "You hate to lose, but they have a good team and we'll see them again."

Brown was 1-2, Chapman 1-3 with an RBI, Carr 2-3 with three RBI, Reeder 1-3, Anderson 1-2 , Holt 2-3 and Kirk 1-3.

Colin Laman and Dylan Clifft were each 2-3 to lead the Mustangs.

The Mustangs improve to 18-8 on the year, 9-1 in District 13A. The Rebels fall to 16-6, 5-1 in the district. Should both teams win out, some form of tiebreaker system will determine the top seed going into the 13A tournament.