Southern at Trimble

Here's my article for The Athens Messenger from the game I covered last night. That's all for now. Too tired to type because I just got back from Coldstone.


Big inning dooms Trimble

NICK BROCKMAN

Special to The Messenger

GLOUSTER - Tomcat pitcher Taylor Russell tossed a complete game, but his endurance was not enough to overcome the Southern Tornadoes as Trimble lost 13-6 in Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division play on Thursday night.

Russell pitched a full seven innings and walked just three batters, but he and the Tomcats surrendered nine runs in a decisive fourth inning.

"That's been our case here lately, giving them a big inning," Trimble coach Phil Faires said. "You give a good team extra outs and they're going to beat you."

Trimble scored in each of its four at-bats and led 5-1 through three complete innings. Although Trimble managed to score in a majority of its at-bats Tomcat hitters left a total of nine base runners on the paths, which prevented any major rallies.

While Trimble left runners on, Southern executed in the fourth inning, which proved to be the difference. The Tornadoes' first five batters recorded a hit as the team sent 13 batters to the plate in the inning. Of the nine base hits during the inning, five were extra-base hits.

Southern coach Ryan Lemley said he stressed to his players they needed to wait for the right pitch.

"We had talked about being patient at the plate," Lemley said. "Taylor Russell did a good job of mixing up the fastball, change, and curve...We went out and finally made it work. That was really the only inning that we got to him. Other than that he threw well."

The Tomcats added a single run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but could not muster any more.

Tornado No. 1 pitcher Ryan Chapman, who previously no-hit the Tomcats this season, entered in the sixth inning to shut down any further rallies. Down 11-6 in the sixth inning, however, Trimble appeared poised to put together a comeback.

With runners on first and second and just one out catcher Josh McCoy stepped to the plate. McCoy slapped the ball solidly toward the middle, but it was gathered in by the Southern shortstop to begin a 6-4-3, inning-ending double play.

"McCoy came up and got good metal on it and hit a nice shot," Faires said. "They just made the play. That could have very easily been another foot or two to the right or left and that's a base hit."

Southern added two more runs in the seventh inning while Chapman struck out the side in the bottom half of the inning to close out the game. In addition to closing out the game Chapman went 4-for-5 with three doubles.

Offensively for Trimble, Russell, the team's leadoff hitter, went 1-for-1 with three walks and two runs scored. Charles Kish and William Strong each finished with multi-hit performances.

Faires said despite the loss he has seen improvements and is optimistic as his team gets closer to post-season play.

"We've been hitting the ball here a lot better lately," he said. "You take away the big inning and we're right in it.....We're looking to get better each inning and get ready for the tournament."

Southern 001 901 2 - 13 17 2
Trimble 221 100 0 - 6 9 3

Start: 5:23 End: 7:48

S (9-4, 4-3): pitchers Butch Marnhout, Michael Manuel (2), Jordan Taylor (4), Ryan Chapman (5), catcher Greg Jenkins
T (3-11, 2-5): pitcher Taylor Russell, catcher Josh McCoy

WP: Taylor LP: Russell