Lions run-rule rival Wildcats in SHAC matchup

LEESBURG — The Fairfield Lions saw the ball, hit the ball and scored a lot of runs on Thursday evening, defeating Highland County and Southern Hills Athletic Conference rival Whiteoak, 14-4 in five innings. 

The game, played at FHS, saw the Lions get started early and never let up, leading 2-0 after the first inning, then taking an 8-0 advantage after two innings. 

FHS added six more runs in the third for a 14-0 advantage. 

How did they get those runs?

In those three innings, they had 14 hits, one walk and one hit by pitch. 

"For the past two days against Fayetteville and (Thursday) against Whiteoak, we've come alive at the plate, and that is good to see," FHS head coach Matt Garman said. "The bats came alive, and we hit the ball."

The first inning saw Joey Wilson and Isaiah Liggins cross home plate, with Wilson keeping the inning alive with a two-out base hit, followed by Liggins hitting a single. 

Wilson finished 3-for-4 and Liggins 2-for-3. 

Wilson scored an outfield error, and Liggins crossed home plate on a hit by Gage Montgomery. Montgomery was 3-for-3.

Then there was the six-run second inning with Wilson, Liggins, Montgomery, Wyatt Crothers, Quintin Schaffer and Dylan Rose all rounding the bases and crossing home plate. 

Crothers went 3-for-3 for the game. 

For the second, the Lions totaled six hits and a walk, as Wyatt Crothers had a double in the inning. 

In the third, the Lions had another six-run inning with Cody Bennett, Blake Hildebrant, Wilson, Liggins, Montgomery and Crothers all scoring runs to complete the scoring for the game. 

The third saw the Lions collect five hits and one batter in Hildebrant hit by a pitch. 

Whiteoak scored their runs in the fourth and fifth innings, with Tyler Williams hitting a lead-off solo home run, breaking the shutout. 

In the fifth inning, Justin Emery, Spencer Michael and Williams all scored runs, with Williams finishing the day 2-for-3. 

The winning pitcher was Zach Cox (3-0), pitching three innings. Cox allowed no runs on one hit and two walks. He struck out seven of the 12 batters he faced. Dylan Rohde pitched two innings of relief.

"Zach is doing what he needs to be doing to win games," Garman said. "He hits his spots and makes opponents earn everything that they get. He had a lot of success, and today the defense behind him was good. 

"Dylan pitched the last two innings and didn't pitch too bad either."

The loss went to Jacob Burns of WHS.