Box Score Maryville Rolls 13-4 in Game 1
Main photo by Tommy Wilson
MARYVILLE – Strong starting pitching plus more of the same from a red-hot offense spelled a 13-4 Maryville triumph over Huntingdon in Game 1 of a weekend USA South series.
Bryce Leonhardt went eight innings and scattered two runs on five hits while striking out five. His only two walks came in his final inning of work as the big righthander improved to 5-1 this season.
Leonhardt's ERA stands at 2.02 through eight starts.
The Scots matched a season-high with their fifth consecutive victory and improved to 12-0 at home. They also scored double-digit runs for a sixth straight game and are now batting .313 as a team.
During the current five-game homestand, Maryville is batting a sizzing .376.
"Bryce came out and did his thing and kept them in check," Scots head coach Clint Helton said. "They were putting the ball in play early in the game and he had a couple of innings with less than 10 pitches, being really efficient.
"Even at the end when he started to lose the zone a little bit, he fought his way through and finished that last inning. That was big."
Four-Pitch Inning
Included in that efficiency was a crazy four-pitch inning in the top of the third when Huntingdon scored its first run of the game. Cade Morgan began the frame by doubling to left on a 1-0 count. Ryan Green bunted Morgan to third on the first pitch, then Andrew Knight grounded out to second on the first pitch – plating Morgan. Colton Clark grounded out to short one pitch later for the final out.
Four pitches.
"I know a lot of people don't see it, but we let our catchers call the game and Kendall Catlett did an excellent job calling that game," Helton said. "Obviously Bryce throws the ball, but you trust your catcher back there and he was terrific.
"Offensively, the plan was to get on top on the scoreboard early, and we did. Our hitters were locked in and swung it well."
Maryville scored in six of its eight at bats, hanging up crooked numbers in four of those frames.
Christian Carlton got things rolling in the first with an RBI-single, followed by Jimmy Meredith and Max Bowers delivering consecutive sacrifice flies for a 3-0 lead.
After Huntingdon's quirky run in the third, the Scots answered with two more on a Bowers double down the left field line for a 5-1 advantage.
Six Scots with Two Hits
Zac Graham added an RBI-single in the fourth and Carlton delivered a sac fly in the sixth to increase the Maryville lead to 7-1. In the seventh, Ian Campbell walked with the bases loaded and then Nelson Smith delivered Maryville's fourth sac fly of the game for a 9-1 cushion.
In the Maryville eighth, Catlett ripped a two-run single before Zach Fritts scored on a wild pitch. Gabe Lopez polished off the scoring for the Scots with an RBI-double to right center.
Lopez, Graham, Carlton, Meredith, Bowers and Catlett all had two hits for Maryville, with Bowers driving in three to lead the RBI column. The Scots in addition to their season-high four sac flies finished with six doubles.
Leonhardt was more than happy to watch his teammates in action, both on defense and while seated in the dugout.
"It's nice having Jimmy and Gabe up the middle," Leonhardt said. "They are really good at what they do. And it's also great having the outfield gloves we do like Fritts, Ian and Bowers out there. I watch these guys take ground balls and fly balls every day, so I know what they can do.
"And the offense is the offense. You can't complain when you're scoring runs like we are."
Maryville and Huntingdon meet Saturday in Game 2 at Scotland Yard. First pitch is 2 p.m.
