Hurricanes Have a Busy Week on the Diamond
The Monticello Hurricane baseball program has been searching for some form of consistency all year in playing what you would call a “complete game.”
Last week was a mixed bag again for the Hurricanes, as youth and inexperience showed again in return games against Loganville Christian (LCA) and Glascock County, and the opener of this week in a road venture to Lamar County.
Early in the season the Hurricanes hosted both Glascock and LCA at the Hurricane Athletic Complex, falling to both, 13-6 to Glascock in the season opener, and 9-4 to LCA in the first diamond day that was hosted by the Hurricanes. The hope for the week was to be able to right the ship and return the favor.
Tom Schilling started on the mound for the Canes at LCA. The game started off well as two of the first three batters reached base thanks to Tres Cohran being hit by a pitch and a Hunter Hays walk. Unfortunately, it ended just as quickly as it unfolded, as Chandler Aguirre hit into a double play to end the inning.
In the Loganville half of the inning, leadoff batter, pitcher Carter Woods hit what should have been a simple pop fly on the infield. As would be the case, the wind that was swirling made most balls that found the air non-routine, and the ball was mishandled allowing Woods to reach. After Woods stole second, the next batter, Josh Wilson, was able to drive him in with a single to left.
A Schilling strikeout of the third batter gave the Canes the first out of the inning, but cleanup hitter Schroeder reached via walk to put two runners on with one out. After the walk, back to back doubles from Caden Lanier and Noah Smallwood put LCA up 4-0 before the Hurricanes could get the final two outs of the inning.
The Canes responded with Schilling helping himself by lacing a double down the left field line that was just out of reach of the third baseman, followed by a walk by Ethan McMichael. After one pitch, McMichael was picked off of first after getting too big of a lead on a bunt attempt that was wide for a ball on the pitch, and this gave the Lions the first out of the inning.
A Riley Savage strikeout put two outs on the board, and brought up Chevy Sands. Sands lined the first pitch he saw into deep center, scoring Malyle Thurman who was in as a courtesy runner for Schilling. This brought the Canes within three at 4-1, with the inning ending one batter later on a strikeout.
In the bottom of the second, the floodgates opened for the Lions as they scored five runs with only one hit (a single), coupled around three Hurricane errors, two walks, a hit by pitch, and a sacrifice fly. This increased the margin to 9-1 Lions, and was pretty much all she wrote for the Hurricanes. The final score was 10-3.
Last Thursday, the Canes were back on the road again, traveling to the Glascock County. This contest was the exact opposite of the previous, which featured a grand total of 20 walks by Cane pitching in the season opener. Hays was on the mound for this contest, which turned out to be a pitcher’s duel from the outset as Hays and Panther starter Caeden Downs exchanged zeros on the scoreboard for the first three innings.
The Canes struck first in the top of the fourth, with Hays leading off with a hard single back up the middle. After a strikeout, Schilling moved Hays up to third on a single to left, advancing himself on the throw to third. The hit placed runners at second and third with only one away in the inning. The next batter, Cohran, drove in Hays with a ground out to second, and staked a 1-0 lead.
The lead was not for long though, as leadoff batter Colton Chalker was hit by a Hays pitch. The next batter, Downs, laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Chalker. On a 2-2 count, the next batter Bryce Wheeler singled to right, scoring Chalker and knotting up the game at 1-1. The Panthers added to the score in the bottom of the next inning, leading off with a single by Easton Pittman.
After back to back strikeouts by Hays, Chalker singled back up the middle put runners on first and second with two out. The next hitter, Downs, hit what should have been a routine ground ball to third, but an error allowed the inning to continue, and loaded the bases. Two pitches later, the go-ahead run scored on a wild pitch, bringing home Pittman and giving Glascock a 2-1 lead.
Hays took the hard luck loss for the Canes, going five strong innings, allowing only four hits, two runs, one of which was earned, while striking out 10 and only walking two.
The Hurricanes’ most recent contest were against Lamar County, look for details in next week’s edition. The Canes will conclude this week with a junior varsity (JV) game at Spalding High, and a JV/varsity doubleheader with Stratford coming to the Hurricane Diamond. Next week the Hurricanes will travel to Washington County on Monday, March 27 for another JV/varsity doubleheader, followed by a home game against the Salem Seminoles on Tuesday, March 28.