Mustangs avenge loss; defeat Warriors
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
DODSONVILLE — In a span of 10 days, the Lynchburg-Clay Mustangs went from being run-ruled by the Eastern Brown Warriors to playing a gem, as they avenged that loss Friday with a 3-1 Southern Hills Athletic Conference victory.
The conference win places them right in the mix in the Division I standings as the Mustangs, the three-time defending champions, are now 4-4 in conference play, trailing the Warriors, who are now 6-3 in the conference. The Green Devils of North Adams have at least three conference losses.
In their first meeting on April 16, LC lost at EBHS, 10-0 in five innings, but that wasn't the case the second time around.
"The difference this time around was a combination of Cory pitching strikes and our defense," LC head coach Garyn Waits said. "Gage had a heck of a catch in centerfield that saved a couple runs, and Ryan (Inman) made a stop at third, and we just played well defensively."
As for avenging their loss, the Mustangs scored all of their runs in the bottom of the third inning, as they trailed 1-0 entering their half of the fourth as the Warriors scored first in the first inning.
The third for the host Mustangs began with Cory Snider taking first on a base hit. With one out, Ryan Inman reached first on a single.
With just one out on the board, Chaz Lanier singled to centerfield, scoring Snider from second base, tying the score at one. Later in the inning, Lanier overcame a rundown situation as he outraced the Warriors between first and second, eventually returning to first base safely. While Lanier was maneuvering between first and second bases, Inman sneaked over to third safely, giving the Mustangs runners at the corners.
Morgan Ryan knocked in Inman from third base, sending the ball to right field on an RBI single for a 2-1 advantage.
[[In-content Ad]]
Wesley Smith gave the Mustangs an insurance run as he hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Lanier home from third base for a two-run lead by a 3-1 score.
Though LC gained just two hits for the remainder of the game, the scoring was enough as LC had a gem of a pitching performance by Snider, who went all seven innings.
Snider, a freshman, faced 29 batters, allowing one earned run on six hits and two walks. Snider had one wild pitch and struck out five. He improves his overall record to 2-0 in four appearances and three starts.
The seven innings by Snider was the first complete game of the season by any LC pitcher.
"Cory continued to get better as the game went, and at the high school level, you really don't see that too often," Waits said. "The way he pitched (Friday) was remarkable."
The LC freshman hurler never faced more than five batters in any innings, retiring six consecutive batters in the third and fourth innings and holding the Warriors to zero extra base hits, as Snider threw 114 pitches.
In the fourth, Snider struck out the second and third batters of the inning, as he had just 12 pitches in the third.
At the plate, the Mustangs totaled seven hits with Inman going 3-for-3 with one run and two stolen bases. Snider was 2-for-3. The other two hits were the aforementioned single by Ryan and a base hit by Scott Cawood.
"Last week, they (EB) kicked our butts, so it does feel good to get a win at home," Waits said. "I have the utmost respect for Eastern and what they are doing. This win is a big step in the right direction for us.
"I'm impressed with how we hit the ball and how we had the timely hitting."
LC will play in a doubleheader on Saturday against non-conference foe Huntington, starting at 11 a.m.
The conference win places them right in the mix in the Division I standings as the Mustangs, the three-time defending champions, are now 4-4 in conference play, trailing the Warriors, who are now 6-3 in the conference. The Green Devils of North Adams have at least three conference losses.
In their first meeting on April 16, LC lost at EBHS, 10-0 in five innings, but that wasn't the case the second time around.
"The difference this time around was a combination of Cory pitching strikes and our defense," LC head coach Garyn Waits said. "Gage had a heck of a catch in centerfield that saved a couple runs, and Ryan (Inman) made a stop at third, and we just played well defensively."
As for avenging their loss, the Mustangs scored all of their runs in the bottom of the third inning, as they trailed 1-0 entering their half of the fourth as the Warriors scored first in the first inning.
The third for the host Mustangs began with Cory Snider taking first on a base hit. With one out, Ryan Inman reached first on a single.
With just one out on the board, Chaz Lanier singled to centerfield, scoring Snider from second base, tying the score at one. Later in the inning, Lanier overcame a rundown situation as he outraced the Warriors between first and second, eventually returning to first base safely. While Lanier was maneuvering between first and second bases, Inman sneaked over to third safely, giving the Mustangs runners at the corners.
Morgan Ryan knocked in Inman from third base, sending the ball to right field on an RBI single for a 2-1 advantage.
[[In-content Ad]]
Wesley Smith gave the Mustangs an insurance run as he hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Lanier home from third base for a two-run lead by a 3-1 score.
Though LC gained just two hits for the remainder of the game, the scoring was enough as LC had a gem of a pitching performance by Snider, who went all seven innings.
Snider, a freshman, faced 29 batters, allowing one earned run on six hits and two walks. Snider had one wild pitch and struck out five. He improves his overall record to 2-0 in four appearances and three starts.
The seven innings by Snider was the first complete game of the season by any LC pitcher.
"Cory continued to get better as the game went, and at the high school level, you really don't see that too often," Waits said. "The way he pitched (Friday) was remarkable."
The LC freshman hurler never faced more than five batters in any innings, retiring six consecutive batters in the third and fourth innings and holding the Warriors to zero extra base hits, as Snider threw 114 pitches.
In the fourth, Snider struck out the second and third batters of the inning, as he had just 12 pitches in the third.
At the plate, the Mustangs totaled seven hits with Inman going 3-for-3 with one run and two stolen bases. Snider was 2-for-3. The other two hits were the aforementioned single by Ryan and a base hit by Scott Cawood.
"Last week, they (EB) kicked our butts, so it does feel good to get a win at home," Waits said. "I have the utmost respect for Eastern and what they are doing. This win is a big step in the right direction for us.
"I'm impressed with how we hit the ball and how we had the timely hitting."
LC will play in a doubleheader on Saturday against non-conference foe Huntington, starting at 11 a.m.