HALFWAY - Macks Creek returned to conference play on Monday night, traveling to Halfway to make-up a game with Fair Play. The Pirates came away with an 18-0 win in four innings.
The first eight batters that went to the plate for Macks Creek reached and scored. Cole Register led off with a walk and stole second. Colton Walter followed with a walk before Hunter Lane singled to bring in Register. Walter moved from first to third and Lane was able to make it to second on the throw to third. Trever Smith followed with a double to plate Walter and move Hunter to third. Oscar Cortez singled to left, bringing in Lane and Trever scored when the ball rolled through the legs of the left fielder. Cortez reached second on the play. Tanner Smith walked, Cortez stole third, and Zane Whitworth collected a bunt single to load the bases. Grant English then laced a two-RBI-single to left, pushing in both Oscar and Tanner. Whitworth stole third and scored when the ball went by the third baseman. English moved to second on the play. He would come in to score on Cole Register's single to center. Register reached third when the ball sailed by the catcher on the attempt to get Grant at the plate. Following a pitching change Walter walked for the second time in the inning and stole second before a fly out center and a pop out to short ended the frame.
Fair Play's lead off man Adrian Hartshorn walked in the bottom of the first. Logan Underwood would walk after a strike out and both runners would move up a base on a passed ball. A pop out to the pitcher and a strike out ended the threat.
Macks Creek plated three more runs in the second. Oscar collected a single to left and stole second. After a pop out to second, Zane Whitworth walked and both he and Cortez stole a base. Grant English walked to load the bases ahead of Tyrone Rios, who collected a two-RBI-single up the middle to plate Cortez and Whitworth. English would move to third on the play and score on Cole Register's ground out to short. Rios would be thrown out on the play trying to advance from second to third. The Pirates now held an 11-0 lead.
After a quiet bottom of the second the Pirates plated three more runs in the third. Colton Walter walked for the third time and moved from first to third on Hunter Lane's single to right field. He was able to score when the throw did not make it to third. A fly out to right brought Oscar Cortez to the plate, who collected his third hit of the night with an RBI-single up the middle. The short stop made a great play on the ball but Cortez was able to beat the throw to first. Lane came in to score on the play. Zane Whitworth doubled in Cortez, who had stolen second, to push the lead to 14-0.
Four more runs crossed in the fourth for Macks Creek. Cole Register and Colton Walter were each hit-by-a-pitch before Hunter Lane doubled to deep right, scoring Register and moving Walter to third. Trever Smith followed with his second double of the night to score Colton and Hunter. A walk to Cortez brought in Tanner Smith, who singled to left to plate his brother, Trever, from second. A pop out, a walk to Grant English, and another pop out ended the inning.
In the bottom of the fourth Fair Play collected their first hit of the night when Landon Wright doubled down the right field line, just passed the diving first baseman. He would move to third on a wild pitch before being tagged out on Adam Bass's ground ball to the pitcher. A strike out ended the game via the run-rule.
"I was really impressed with the way that we came out offensively in the first inning tonight," commented Macks Creek skipper Jason Trusty, "we were patient and put the ball in play and gave our starter a nice cushion before we stepped out on the field defensively."
Hunter Lane (3-3) picked up the win with his three innings of work. He struck out seven, walked four, and did not allow a hit. Oscar Cortez relieved and worked the final innings, surrendering a double while striking out two.
Landon Wright started and took the loss for Fair Play. He worked one-third of an inning, allowing right runs, four earned, on six hits while striking out one and walking three. Lane Neil worked one inning before being lifted for pitch count, and allowed one hit, three runs, and three walks. Scott Scwartz worked the final two-and-two-thirds innings, allowing seven runs on seven hits while striking out one, walking three, and hitting two batters.
Oscar Cortez and Hunter Lane each collected three hits on the night. Cortez singled three times, scored three runs, walked, and had two RBI's while Lane had two singles, a double, three RBI's, and three runs scored. Trever Smith doubled twice, scored twice, and had three RBI's and Zane Whitworth singled, doubled, scored two runs, walked once, and had an RBI. Cole Register singled, scored twice, walked once, was beaned once, and had two RBI's, Tanner Smith singled in a run, walked, and scored, Grant English singled in two runs, walked twice, and scored two runs, and Tyrone Rios singled in two runs. Colton Walter recorded no official at-bats on the night, drawing three walks and he was hit-by-a-pitch. He scored three runs as well.
Landon Wright doubled for the only Fair Play hit. Adrian Hartshorn, Logan Underwood, and Lane Neil all walked in the contest. Adam Bass also reached on a fielder's choice.
Macks Creek moves to 11-6 overall and 5-2 in Polk County League play. Fair Play falls to 6-7 overall and 4-3 in League play. The Pirates take to the road against another conference opponent on Tuesday (weather pending) when they travel to Dadeville to take on the Bearcats. Game time is slated for 4:30.
VARSITY BOX SCORE
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | R | H | E |
MC | 8 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 14 | 0 |
FP | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 |