By By SCOTT NOVAK / Niles Daily Star
COLOMA - A four-run seventh inning lifted the Dowagiac varsity baseball team to a 14-12 non-conference victory over host Coloma Monday afternoon.
The second game was called due to darkness after two innings with Dowagiac leading 6-2. The second game will not be made up.
The Comets jumped out to a 2-0 lead after one inning of play and led 3-1 heading into the fourth inning.
Both teams scored a single run in the fourth, while Dowagiac scored seven times in the top half of the fifth to take a 9-4 lead.
Coloma answered with six runs in the bottom of the fifth to reclaim the lead, 10-9.
The Chieftains (2-1) scored a pair of runs in the sixth to make it an 11-10 lead. Dowagiac then scored four times in the top half of the fifth to extend its advantage to 14-10.
Coloma scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to close the gap to 14-12.
Jason Fryman picked up the victory in relief of starter Jake Cox, who worked the first four innings.
Cox allowed six runs on six hits with four walks and three strikeouts.
Fryman (2-0) worked the final three innings, giving up five runs on five hits with four strikeouts. Fryman did not walk a batter.
For the third straight contest, Dowagiac finished with more than 10 hits. The Chieftains had 17 hits on Monday afternoon against the Comets.
David Stuppy, Nick File and Brandon Simmons, all of whom doubled for the Chieftains, led Dowagiac.
File went 4-for-4 with three singles and a double. Stuppy was 3-for-3 with two singles, a double and two RBIs. Tony Saviano was 2-for-3 with a pair of hits and a RBI, while JoAngel Goins was 2-for-3 with a pair of singles.
Simmons was 2-for-5 on the day with a double, a single and two RBIs. Matt Dodson was 2-for-4 with a RBI, while Mike Kasper and Kyle Prak both singled and doubled.
The Chieftains are back in action today as they travel to Bailey Park to face Battle Creek Central. The first game of the doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m.
Dowagiac 010 172 4 - 14 17 6
Coloma 210 160 2 - 12 14 5
Jason Fryman (W, 2-0), Nick Garrod (L)
2B: David Stuppy (D), Nick File (D), Brandon Simmons (D), Matt Toccata (C), Tim Bartee (C), Zac Chandler (C)