MARYVILLE - In two very different ball games, the Scots showed their tenacity and came away with two hard fought victories over Belhaven, winning game one 9-2 and game two 11-10 over the pre-season favorites to win the CCS.
(Almost) Complete game
Game one starting pitcher
Kyle Timko picked up his fourth victory of the year and kept in-tact his perfect record for the season after pitching eight and two-thirds innings, only to be replaced by
Pete Pappas in the top of the ninth with two on and two out. Pappas walked the first batter he faced, loading the bases, but was able to strike out the last batter and complete the game. Timko threw seven strikeouts and allowed only two runs on nine hits against 35 batters faced. His ERA now sits at 2.40 for the year.
Belhaven started the game off with a bang, homering over the left field wall to take an early 1-0 lead in the first. Maryville was quick to answer, with
Reece Jordan scoring on a throwing error by the short stop in the bottom of the first.
Zach Devries would then score on a
Frank Derner ground out to give the Scots a 2-1 lead.
Brayden Evans would score in the second on a
Reece Jordan single to left field. Out of the Scots' first three runs, all three were unearned. The Blazers would score in the top of the third on a hard hit single through the left side. That would end their scoring for game one.
Maryville would score six straight runs to take a 9-2 lead and would finish the game there.
Brayden Evans (three RBI) and
Ashton Whiteaker (one RBI, run) would account for five of those runs, and
Det Dettwiller (one run scored on a WP) would account for the other.
Frank Derner was hit home twice in that stretch as well.
Back-and-forth
Game two was not as easy-going as the first game, with both teams trading blows till the end, with 14 of the combined 21 runs being scored after the top of the sixth inning (eight by Maryville and six by Belhaven).
The Scots would land the first blow in this game.
Brayden Evans, who scored three runs on two hits and two walks and also a RBI in the game, singled up the middle and scored
Frank Derner to give the Scots their first lead of the night cap.
Belhaven was quick to answer the strike with one of their own in the top of the third.
Ashton Whiteaker proceeded to hit his fifth home run of the year, a solo-shot, to left field, to re-take the lead. Overall there were six lead changes and five ties ties in the game, making it an instant classic.
The Blazers retook the lead in the fourth after a sac fly, a stolen home base, and a triple all scored runs in the inning to give the Blazers the 4-2 lead. Maryville would get a run back in the bottom of that inning on a
Reece Jordan sac fly that scored
Colin Dunworth.
The sixth saw MC once again retake the lead.
Brayden Evans would score on a wild pitch after getting on first - then second - on a wild pitch as well. He reached third on an error by the catcher, setting him up to score on the WP.
Matt Hall was based on balls on the wild pitch that scored Evans. Hall would then advance to second on a
Reece Jordan Bunt, and then took third on a ground out double play.
Det Dettwiller scored Hall from third on a single to center field, and then would advance to second on yet another wild pitch. Belhaven threw seven wild pitches in the game.
Next at-bat,
Ashton Whiteaker would send Dettwiller home on a single to left field.
A fairly calm seventh inning would see both teams bring home one run, with
Matt Hall scoring for the Scots on an error by the Short Stop.
A not-so-fairly-calm eighth inning saw each team score three runs, with Belhaven taking back the lead briefly on a throwing error that score two, and then a double would score on. Maryville's
Reece Jordan, who batted in four runners in the game, doubled down the left field line to bring home
Brayden Evans and
Nick Curry.
Det Dettwiller singled to the third baseman and on some confusion by the infield because of the bases-loaded situation, would allow
Matt Hall to score from third. 10-8 Maryville.
In the top of the ninth, Belhaven would blast a double to right field that scored two runs and tied up the game. Nothing doing for the Scots in the home half of the inning, sending the game to extras.
Free Baseball
The top of the 10th inning saw
Xavier Resto hold the Blazers scoreless for the first time since the top of the sixth inning, setting up a walk-off scenario for the Scots.
Brayden Evans was up first in the inning, and would single to get the winning run on base, and then advanced to scoring position on, you guessed it, another wild pitch. He would advance 90-feet away from home plate on a sac bunt by
Matt Hall. The Sophomore from Chattanooga,
Reece Jordan, would end the dramatics on a single that dropped in front of the right fielder and sent Evans home, winning the game for Maryville.
Xavier Resto pitched 2.0 innings in relief, allowing only one hit and no runs scored, and striking out three.
Coach Helton's Comments
On opening conference play:
"We try taking it one game at a time, but to start conference play that way and to come out and respond after the way we played Tuesday, it was good to see".
He continued:
"We were hungry and tried to be in the aggressor, and it payed off"
On Reece Jordan:
"Yeah, big day today, I mean, he just competes every day and he wants to be there. That's why he is in the lead off spot. He stays locked in and disciplined. We talk about being prepared for those moments and he takes it to heart, and it showed today".
With the wins today, the Scots improved to 13-4 overall and 2-0 in conference play, taking the series against the Blazers.
Maryville looks for the sweep tomorrow at Noon.
