By JASON KING
Leader staff writer
IN SHORT: Sylvan Hills’ AAA team improved to 5-1 against zone competition Tuesday night by handling Jacksonville 9-0.
Sylvan Hills collected a run-ruled 9-0 shutout over Gwatney Chevrolet at Dupree Park on Tuesday night. The Class AAA game was originally scheduled as a twin bill, but was changed to one seven-inning contest. The Bruins built a 2-0 lead in the third inning before blowing the game wide open in the fourth inning, scoring four runs in the top of the fourth while batting through their entire lineup.
Carter Lance took the win at the mound for Sylvan Hills, allowing six hits and one walk while striking out eight batters. Lance went the six-inning distance in the game for the Bruins, avoiding a scoring threat from Jacksonville in the bottom of the third to record the complete-game shutout.
Starting Jacksonville pitcher Casey Winstead looked strong in the first two innings, allowing only one hit from lead-off batter Shawn Bybee to start the game. The Bruins’ bats woke up to start out the third inning, however, with two hits in the stanza for two runs. Three of the first four batters then singled in the top of the fourth inning to help Sylvan Hills earn a 6-0 lead midway through the game.
Winstead held on until the sixth, at which time he was relieved by Randy Peeples for the final inning.
Grant Garlington led off for Sylvan Hills in the top of the third with a single to second, but fell to a fielder’s choice from following batter Taylor Roark. Bybee followed that with a double to score Roark, and stole to third before coming in on a 1-3 from Hayden Miller.
In the top of the fourth, Ritchie Irvin and Jarrett Boles started things off for the Bruins with back-to-back singles into centerfield to put more scores in position.
Nathan Van Schoyck sent it down the third base line for the next single, scoring Irvan and moving Van Schoyck to third.
Both runners would score off a double to center from Roark, and Toliver added the final hit of the inning with a single to right that scored Roark for a 6-0 Bruins lead.
Austin Gwatney added the seventh run in the top of the fifth. A single to center put the SH outfielder on, and a double from Garlington two batters later sent him around for the run.
The final scores of the game for Sylvan Hills came in the top of the sixth. A Boles single down the third base line brought in Miller and Toliver, putting Jacksonville in danger of being run-ruled.
Gwatney had to score at least two runs in the bottom of the sixth to send the game to its final scheduled inning, but Garlington sent the Chevy boys out with an F8 pop-up from Zach Thomas and strikeouts on Zach James and Tim Payne.
Sylvan Hills had 12 total hits in the game, compared to five for Gwatney. Bybee was 2 for 4 for the Bruins with a double and a RBI. Garlington went 2 for 2 with a double and a RBI, and Toliver was 2 for 4 with a RBI.
