Mustangs 3-peat as SHL baseball champions
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
DODSONVILLE — For what is now 22 times, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs are Southern Hills League champions, this time winning the Division I title for the third consecutive season. The clinching win came Tuesday, as they defeated the North Adams Green Devils, 10-0 in six innings at LCHS.
LC moves to 9-2 in the SHL and 11-7 overall. Their two league losses were against Ripley and Fayetteville earlier this season.
In their clinching of their three straight league titles, they defeated Eastern Brown to clinch the title in 2010 and the past two seasons have run-ruled the Green Devils to clinch the championship. Since 2000, LC has won the SHL Division I crown seven times.
Though they won the league title, LC has more loftier goals in mind, as the Mustangs have won just three sectional titles in the past 10 seasons.
"It's nice to win the league championship again," LC head coach Garyn Waits said. "I told the guys to enjoy the win (Tuesday), but we have bigger goals we want to achieve. We have some league games remaining, and we want to win a sectional title.
"We set our goal early in the season to go further than winning the SHL. We expect to win the league title, and winning the sectional is our goal now. We have five games left before the tournament draw on Sunday, so we still have a lot of work to do this week."
The Mustangs didn't waste any time getting the runs on the scoreboard Tuesday with a three-run first inning as Chaz Lanier, Wes Pierson and Joey Butler all rounded the bases. Lanier kept the inning alive with a two-out walk, followed with a base hit by Pierson. Both runners scored on a double by Butler. Butler scored on a double by Scott Cawood, who was the winning pitcher of the game.
On the mound, Cawood pitched six innings, allowing no runs on four hits and two walks. He finished with six strikeouts.
[[In-content Ad]]LC added two runs in the second inning with Tyler Davidson and Ryan Inman scoring runs, with Inman reaching the bases on a single and Lanier taking to the bases with a triple hit to right-centerfield.
Cawood made it a 5-0 score in the bottom of the third with Cawood singling and scoring on a triple by Terry Campbell.
In the fifth, the Mustangs increased their lead to eight runs as Butler and Cawood crossed home plate. Butler hit a single, and Cawood drew a walk.
The game was ended with Lanier and Pierson leading off the sixth with Lanier being walked and Pierson getting hit by a pitch. The bases were loaded by Butler with a walk. Cawood knocked in Lanier with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, and Campbell sealed the third consecutive SHL title with a single to centerfield, scoring Pierson.
LC totaled 11 hits for the game, with Butler, Cawood and Campbell all tallying two hits, with Butler going 2-for-2 with two runs, two walks and two RBIs. Cawood finished 2-for-2 with two runs, one sacrifice, one walk and two RBIs. Campbell was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Davidson, Inman, Lanier, Pierson and Zach Mahoney all had one hit. Lanier also drew two walks, while Pierson scored two runs.
LC won't have much time to rest as they will travel to Mowrystown on Wednesday in an SHL contest at 5 p.m.
GAME NOTES: LC has won SHL titles the following years: '74, '77, '80, '84, '85, '86, '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '98, '99, '00, '03, '05, '06, '10, '11, '12.
BOX SCORE
NA 000 000 — 0 4 2
LC 321 022 — 10 11 1
LC moves to 9-2 in the SHL and 11-7 overall. Their two league losses were against Ripley and Fayetteville earlier this season.
In their clinching of their three straight league titles, they defeated Eastern Brown to clinch the title in 2010 and the past two seasons have run-ruled the Green Devils to clinch the championship. Since 2000, LC has won the SHL Division I crown seven times.
Though they won the league title, LC has more loftier goals in mind, as the Mustangs have won just three sectional titles in the past 10 seasons.
"It's nice to win the league championship again," LC head coach Garyn Waits said. "I told the guys to enjoy the win (Tuesday), but we have bigger goals we want to achieve. We have some league games remaining, and we want to win a sectional title.
"We set our goal early in the season to go further than winning the SHL. We expect to win the league title, and winning the sectional is our goal now. We have five games left before the tournament draw on Sunday, so we still have a lot of work to do this week."
The Mustangs didn't waste any time getting the runs on the scoreboard Tuesday with a three-run first inning as Chaz Lanier, Wes Pierson and Joey Butler all rounded the bases. Lanier kept the inning alive with a two-out walk, followed with a base hit by Pierson. Both runners scored on a double by Butler. Butler scored on a double by Scott Cawood, who was the winning pitcher of the game.
On the mound, Cawood pitched six innings, allowing no runs on four hits and two walks. He finished with six strikeouts.
[[In-content Ad]]LC added two runs in the second inning with Tyler Davidson and Ryan Inman scoring runs, with Inman reaching the bases on a single and Lanier taking to the bases with a triple hit to right-centerfield.
Cawood made it a 5-0 score in the bottom of the third with Cawood singling and scoring on a triple by Terry Campbell.
In the fifth, the Mustangs increased their lead to eight runs as Butler and Cawood crossed home plate. Butler hit a single, and Cawood drew a walk.
The game was ended with Lanier and Pierson leading off the sixth with Lanier being walked and Pierson getting hit by a pitch. The bases were loaded by Butler with a walk. Cawood knocked in Lanier with a sacrifice fly to centerfield, and Campbell sealed the third consecutive SHL title with a single to centerfield, scoring Pierson.
LC totaled 11 hits for the game, with Butler, Cawood and Campbell all tallying two hits, with Butler going 2-for-2 with two runs, two walks and two RBIs. Cawood finished 2-for-2 with two runs, one sacrifice, one walk and two RBIs. Campbell was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
Davidson, Inman, Lanier, Pierson and Zach Mahoney all had one hit. Lanier also drew two walks, while Pierson scored two runs.
LC won't have much time to rest as they will travel to Mowrystown on Wednesday in an SHL contest at 5 p.m.
GAME NOTES: LC has won SHL titles the following years: '74, '77, '80, '84, '85, '86, '90, '91, '92, '93, '94, '95, '96, '98, '99, '00, '03, '05, '06, '10, '11, '12.
BOX SCORE
NA 000 000 — 0 4 2
LC 321 022 — 10 11 1