Batts' Single In Seventh Lifts Black, 4-3
October 16, 2008 | Baseball
Oct. 16, 2008
Game One Box (PDF) l Game One Play-by-Play (PDF)
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Stephen Batts' RBI single in the bottom of the seventh gave the Black (1-0) squad a 4-3 win over the Purple (0-1) in game one of a doubleheader in the Annual Purple/Gold World Series Thursday afternoon at Lewis Field inside Clark-LeClair Stadium.
Batts, who lead all batters with three hits, stepped up to the plate with one out and Ryan Wood standing on second and laced a Mark Wilder pitch to right field plating Wood for the winning run. In the game Batts was 3-for-4 with two RBI and scored a run.
Brad Mincey (1-0) recorded the win after working one inning of scoreless ball allowing one walk. Walk-on Jamie McGhee got the start for the Black going 2.1 innings surrendering three runs on four hits with a pair of strikeouts and three walks. Britton Cole bridged the gap scattering four hits over 3.2 innings with three punch outs and a walk.
Seth Simmons (0-1) suffered the loss lasting two-thirds of an inning, allowing one run (earned) with one walk an a strikeout. Sophomore Seth Maness gave up three runs on four hits in the start going three innings with four walks and three strikeouts. Michael Wright tossed 2.1 innings of scoreless relief with a strikeout before giving way to Simmons. Freshman Mark Wilder worked one-third of an inning allowing one hit.
The Black team, coached by Bill Jarman, took an early 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first frame behind Batts' RBI double down the right field line. Ryan Wood and Kyle Roller drew back-to-back one out walks just before Batts' at-bat that plated Wood from second. With runners on second and third, Bobby Fowler pushed across Roller on an infield dribble just in front of home plate capping the scoring for the Black.
Link Jarrett's Purple squad to a 3-2 lead in the top of the third. Freshman Kevin Brandt led off with a single up the middle, which was followed by a double to left-center from Trent Whitehead putting runners at second and third. After Dustin Harrington drew a bases loaded walk, Brandon Henderson put the Purple on the board with a sac fly to center scoring Brandt from the hot corner. Whitehead and Harrington advanced 90 feet on a passed ball and each touched home when Austin Homan reached on a error by Roller at first base.
Batts' knotted the score at three in the bottom of the third when he crossed home after Harrington was unable to hold on to a Maness throw to second where he was trying to pickoff Devin Harris. With one out, Batts doubled down the right field line then advanced to third when Fowler flied out to center setting up the game-tying run.
Whitehead and Brandt led the Purple with two base knocks, while Henderson, Jake Davis, Cameron Freeman and Corey Thompson each collected a hit.
Fowler joined Batts with a multi-hit game collecting two hits, while Harris and Drew Schieber also recorded hits.
