Box Score Seventh Inning Surge Secures 8-1 Victory
RICHMOND, Ky. – The fourth win in a row for Maryville came in the form of a 8-1 decision against Transylvania in a neutral site meeting.
The Scots offense is on a hot streak, as the team has posted double-digit hits in five consecutive games. That is the longest streak of its kind for Maryville since the 2016 season.
"Great win tonight," said Scots' head coach Clint Helton. "Great energy from our team and our dugout especially against a quality team who went to a regional last year."
The first run posted in the game was for Maryville and it came in the top of the second. After the first batter struck out, Kasey Ross doubled to left-center before advancing to second base shortly after on a wild pitch. A line out to the shortstop followed, which brought Jimmy Meredith to the plate. The Pioneer shortstop committed a fielding error sending Meredith to first and scoring Ross.
Transylvania answered in the bottom of the fifth with a run of their own. A bases-loaded sacrifice fly brought a Pioneer home. The Scots tagged a runner attempting to steal home which notched the final out of the inning and kept the contest tied at 1-1.
After the sixth inning passed with no runs scored, Maryville set out to take the lead in the top of the seventh. A Meredith triple got the visitors off to a good start, with a Zach Fritts ground-rule double bridging Meredith home.
The positive momentum continued for the Scots as Gabe Lopez was up to bat next and singled to the pitcher. Lopez then stole second, and a throwing error by the catcher allowed Fritts to score. The runs continued as a Max Bowers sacrifice fly scored Lopez before two more runs came in to close out the top of the seventh frame.
No more runs were scored for the Pioneers the rest of the game, while Maryville tacked two more on in the ninth. Nelson Smith scored on a Ross double, followed by Ross scoring on a dropped fly by the opposing third baseman.
Christian Carlton led the Scots in hits with a 3-for-5 performance. Ross was the RBI leader with two, while also adding two hits and scoring two runs. He also had two doubles in the contest.
Coach Helton said all aspects of the Maryville team worked together to earn a Scots win.
"Our defense was excellent tonight made a lot of great plays," Helton said. "We had a lot of great offensive performances as well. Nice to have Meredith, Smith, Ross, and Fritts with extra-base hits."
Nic Mirabella was the starting pitcher for Maryville and put in five innings of work. He struck out four batters and allowed one run. Damian Lusby pitched two innings in relief and earned his second win of the season. The senior allowed no runs and only one hit over eight batters faced.
"Mirabella had a great start tonight and held them off in his time on the mound," said Helton. "Lusby, Tommy Musuras, and Grady Cash did a great job coming in out of the pen."
USA South play is up next for the Scots. They face Brevard in a three-game series over the weekend. The road series starts with a doubleheader set for Saturday at 1 p.m.
