By Ray Benton
Leader staff writer
Gwatney A team continued their winning ways Sunday afternoon, defeating Sylvan Hills 10-3. Sylvan Hills made the first strike by getting a walk, an error by Jacksonville, and a double to score one.
The Chevy boys came back in the second inning with two hits and two stolen bases, tying the score 1-1. Sylvan Hills responded by two singles, a walk, and a stolen base to go up 2-1 in the second inning. A single and a Sylvan Hills error tied the score in the third 2-2. The fifth inning blossoms for Jacksonville with a walk, a single, two doubles and a Sylvan Hills error to make it 7-2.
Sylvan Hills scored one in the fifth with a walk and a single. An error and two stolen bases to make it 7-3.
Jacksonville put the icing on the cake in the sixth with two walks, two hits and a stolen base by Zach Thomas to up the score 10-3. Devin Cole went the distance for the Gwatney win. The Chevy boys finished with nine hits and one error. Sylvan Hills had five hits and three errors. Head Coach Hickingbotham said again Sunday, “This club just gets better and better every game.”
Eleven hits by Gwatney and six by Sylvan Hills told the story in a 9-6 Jacksonville win Sunday afternoon.
In the first inning Sylvan Hills scored three unearned runs on Gwatney’s three errors. Jacksonville came alive in the second inning with four hits along with a Sylvan Hills error to take a 4-3 lead. Gwatney got two hits in the third only to leave three stranded.
A single, and a double by Sylvan Hills gave them two more runs to make it 5-4 in the third.
In the fourth inning, a single and a double by Gwatney evened the score 5-5. But Sylvan Hills rallied with a walk and a double to make it 5-6. The Chevy boys erupted in the sixth inning with three singles, an error on Sylvan Hills and a suicide squeeze play to make it 9-6. Sylvan Hills started a come back in the seventh inning with two hits only to be stranded, ending the game.
Gwatney’s Seth Boatman came in as relief pitcher to take the win. Jeremy Williams, Tyler Uptegrove and Tim Payne each had two hits. Randy Peeples was 2 for 5 for the game. Hickingbotham said, “the relief pitching staff of Matt Crane and Seth Boatman did a great job finishing up the game”.
Saturday’s slugfest between Gwatney’s A team and Maumelle’s A team produced 14 hits for Gwatney and eight for Maumelle. Nine innings of play used up three of Gwatney’s pitchers with Jordan Payer taking the 7-6 win.
Maumelle came back and made it interesting in the seventh by tying the score 6-6. Gwatney finally broke the stalemate in the ninth with two hits and a double to win 7-6. Zach James was 4 for 5 and Tyler Upptegrove was 3 for 5.
The AAA club didn’t fare as well, losing a close game to the Maumelle squad.
Three errors in the infield and three missed balls by the catcher gave the Maumelle AAA club two unearned runs which was enough to win 2-0 over Gwatney.
Brad Green of Gwatney pitched a magnificent game, giving up just two hits and striking out six.
Maumelle’s pitcher gave up four hits and struck out seven of the Jacksonville batters.
A single in the first inning, a walk and three passed balls was enough for Maumelle to score its first run. In the second inning, Gwatney came back with two hits only to be stranded.
The second inning started with an error by Gwatneys first baseman Brandon Clements. A single put a Maumelle runner on first and second.
But a base running error put an end to Maumelle’s rally and got Jacksonville out of a jam.
Gwatneys’ Kyle Clark led off with a single in the fifth but was left stranded. Two walks by Gwatney and two errors by Seth Boatman at shortstop gave Maumelle its’ second run to finish the fifth inning.
The sixth inning also left Gwatney stranded with Walter Winer singling to first base. The Chevy Boys held Maumelle to no runs in the sixth. Gwatneys’ final attempt at a comeback failed in the seventh, ending with a line drive to the first baseman doubling up the Gwatney runner on first.
Walter Winner was 2 of 3 for the game.
“We didn’t get the hits when we needed them,” Hickingbotham said.
