By Charles Curcio, Sports Editor
CNHI
Thursday, March 18, 2010 —
Several powers were at work on St. Patrick’s Day as the kelly-green clad West Stanly baseball team stayed on top of the Rocky River with a 6-1 win over Piedmont.
Between the power of starting pitcher Demetrius Ingram and the long-ball power of Josh Cochran and Jeremy Lowder, the Colts (5-1, 5-0 RRC) made an early strong statement against another top-flight conference team.
Ingram overcame a few bumps in the road early in the game and was all but unhittable in the end for the Colts.
In earning the complete-game one-run victory for West Stanly, Ingram needed only 98 pitches overall, allowing one earned run on two hits with two walks and 10 strikeouts.
After allowing the Panthers (5-3, 4-1) the lead in the third innings, Ingram would retire the next 13 batters in a row, striking out six along the way while getting good defensive plays from Lowder in center field.
In the top of the third inning with two outs, Will Ray walked, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on Bran Elwood’s RBI double to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.
In the bottom of the third with two outs and Zack Huneycutt on third base, the Panthers elected to intentionally walk Ingram and pitch to Cochran.
On the very next pitch, Cochran completely switched the momentum of the game with a three-run home run that would give the Colts the lead for good.
West would add a run in each of the following three innings, more than enough for Ingram.
Huneycutt delivered an RBI double in the fourth, while Jace Whitley drove in Cochran with an RBI single in the fifth.
The final punctuation mark came on Lowder’s towering solo shot over the fence in left-center field.
“That is as relaxed as I’ve seen Dee on the mound and it’s easy to see the results. He has a ton of natural talent,” West head coach David Lee said.
Regarding the home runs in the game, Lee said, “we are fortunate to have guys with some pop in the bat, but we don’t have to rely on that.”
“Piedmont is a historic rival of ours and a great program. This win tonight gives us a little breathing room.”
The Colts look to make it 3-for-3 this week in Rocky River Conference play when West Stanly travels to Marshville to take on Forest Hills.
The road does not get easier for Piedmont as the Panthers travel to Cuthbertson Friday for a showdown with a good young Cavalier team.
P 001 000 0 1 2 0
WS 003 111 x 6 7 0
WP - Demetrius Ingram (7 IP, 1 R, 2 hits, 2 BB, 10 K).
LP - Brad Elwood (5 IP, 6 ER, 5 hits, 4 BB, 2 K).
Leading Hitters: P - Brad Elwood 2-3, 2B, RBI. WS - Josh Cochran 2-3, HR, 3 RBI, 2R; Jeremy Lowder 1-3, HR, RBI; Zack Huneycutt 1-1, 2B, RBI, 2 R; Kevin Van Asch 2-3.
