LAUREL HILL — A young and outmanned Laurel Hill School baseball team was no match for Baker on Friday.
The Gators made quick work of things taking a 19-3 win. The game was called after five innings on the mercy rule.
Given time first-year Hobo Coach Andrew Wirth could build a winner. But for now Laurel Hill has a roster full of players that should be playing middle school baseball rather than taking the field against the juniors and seniors in high school.
Baker sent 12 batters to the plate in the first inning and scored eight runs. That’s as close as the Hoboes got the entire game.
Austin Davis had two hits in the inning, scored a run and drove in a run. Logan Rickmon also had two hits, scored a run and drove in run.
The first seven Gator batters reached base. And when Baker finally made an out it was on a sacrifice fly to center field off the bat of Will Davis that scored courtesy runner Lane Boone.
Baker Coach Adam Henry pulled most of the Gator starters after the first inning, but even the Baker backups were too strong for the Hoboes.
“We hit the ball well tonight, which is something we haven’t been able to do all year,” Henry said. “Hopefully it will lead us to some more good stuff and we can just get the bats going.
“Our pitchers were throwing a lot of strikes tonight too, which is always a positive.”
The Gators sent 12 more batters to the plate in the second inning and scored seven runs. A four spot by the Gators in the top of the third made the score 19-0.
Laurel Hill got something going in the bottom of the third inning sending nine batters to the plate and scoring three times.
Walks to Moon Williams and Gary Jacobs by Gator pitcher Tom Crowson set the tone for the inning. Williams later scored on a Crowson wild pitch. Jacobs scored on a base hit by Bryan Pursley.
Pursley’s hit was the only one of the game for the Hoboes. Mack Posey, who had walked, went to the third on the Pursley single and scored on a wild pitch to end the scoring.
Laurel Hill batters struck out 14 times. Baker batters had 15 hits. Lane Boone joined Davis and Rickmon with two hits for the Gators.
Ryan Weidenhammer was the Gator starting pitcher. He worked one inning and struck out the side. Crowson worked the second and third innings and allowed the three runs. He also struck out six Hobo batters.
Bubba Ellis worked the last two innings on the mound for Baker and struck out five Laurel Hill batters.
Pursley was the Laurel Hill starting pitcher and he took the loss working three innings and giving up all of the Gator runs.
“Last night we lost pretty bad, 17 or 18 to nothing,” Wirth said. “And then we were down 19-0 and Bryan (Pursley) called a little team huddle and they responded scoring three runs.
“I told them any response is good other than tucking your tails and running.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Baker too strong for Laurel Hill's baseball team