LaGRANGE, Ga. – Never a doubt!
Maryville picked up its fourth straight Collegiate Conference of the South series victory Sunday afternoon with a wild 8-7 win over LaGrange at Cleaveland Field.
Zac Graham continued his domination with the bat, picking up his third four-hit game of the season, all of which have come in the last 10 outings. The Bradenton, Florida native led the Scots offensively, going 4-for-4 with a double and a team-high 3 RBIs.
Maryville cruised through the first seven innings, building a 6-1 lead as they headed into the bottom of the eighth inning. The Panthers wouldn't go down without a fight though, scoring six runs in the frame and taking a 7-6 lead heading to the bottom of the ninth.
Christian Carlton kicked off the ninth with a leadoff walk, with
Carter Crow replacing him on first as a pinch runner. Crow would trade places with
Colin Dunworth following a fielder's choice for the first out.
With Dunworth on first and one out,
Max Bowers drilled a hard grounder to the Panthers third baseman, who bobbled it and threw the ball away, allowing Dunworth to come all the way around and score the tying run.
Initially thrown out at home, Dunworth was awarded the plate on an obstruction call, as LaGrange's pitcher bumped into the sophomore as he crossed the baseline to back up third. Bowers advanced to second base on the throw.
A wild pitch allowed Bowers to move to third and with two outs
Jacob Johnston singled home the winning run. The shortstop was 3-for-5 on the day, driving in two runs and scoring one of his own.
Chris Arbuthnot closed out the game for Maryville, picking up his fifth win of the season following a three up, three down ninth inning to secure the victory.
Before scoring in the ninth inning, MC's first six runs came in the third and fourth innings. The Scots scored three in the third and three in the fourth.
Ashton Whiteaker and Graham both doubled in the third inning, with Whiteaker driving in two and Graham scoring one.
In the fourth, Johnston singled home the first run before Graham plated two more with a two-RBI knock of his own.
Maryville recorded 14 hits in the contest, returning to their strong offensive roots after a five-hit performance on Saturday. The Scots have picked up 10 or more hits 12 times in their last 15 games.
Eight of the nine MC starters recorded hits in the contest, led by multi-hit performances from Graham (4), Johnston (3), and
Jimmy Meredith (2). Meredith has now recorded multiple hits in 16 of his 36 games played this season. The second baseman is second on the team in hits (44) and walks (19) while ranking third on the squad in RBIs (30).
Austin Suttle led the Scots pitching with four scoreless innings out of the bullpen. He allowed one hit and three walks while striking out a team-high four batters. The righty has lowered his ERA to 3.91 (11 ER/25.1 IP) second among Scots relievers with 23 punchouts.
Xavier Resto picked up the win for Maryville, improving to 5-1 on the season.
With just one weekend of CCS competition remaining, Maryville sits atop the standings with a conference record of 12-2. The Scots face off against second-place Piedmont in a three-game series beginning on Thursday.
The magic number for Maryville is one. If the Scots win one game against the Lions, they will be crowned CCS Regular-Season Champions and earn the right to host the 2024 postseason tournament.
First pitch on Thursday is scheduled for 6 p.m.
