South Warren is beginning to play a style of baseball it has been accustomed to in years past.
After lighting up for 18 runs and 11 hits in Tuesday’s five-inning win over Warren Central in the opener of a three-game District 14 series, the Spartans carried their recent offensive success into Wednesday’s finale.
By tallying 16 hits, South (11-11, 6-1 District 14) used its hot hitting to defeat the Dragons 13-3 in six innings at South Warren Ballpark, claiming the series victory. Four different Spartans produced multi-hit outings while six others each finished with a hit.
“It’s very big,” South Warren head coach Chris Gage said of the series win. “That’s what we try to concentrate on in District games. The games that really matter are the District games. We’re just trying to set ourselves up for the best possible seed we can get in the postseason.”
Kirtley Lawrence went 3-for-3 with an RBI and scored twice. After losing the senior for three weeks earlier in the season due to an injury, Gage says it’s good to see Lawrence playing the way he is.
“We’ve gone through a lot of big injuries this year,” stated Gage. “Kirtley was gone for weeks. Kirtley came back and has just jumped right back into it. When you have your three-hole-hitter and you take him out of there, you’re gonna have some struggles.”
Along with Lawrence, Hunter Evans also went 3-for-3 with three RBI while Jaxson Smith (2) and Josh Vincent (3) each finished with two hits and combined for five RBI.
South starter Logan Gage allowed six hits and two runs while recording six strikeouts in four innings. In relief, both A.J. Isable and Noah Cranor pitched an inning each, combining for four Ks and just three hits.
Warren Central (0-20, 0-10 District 14) opened the game on a positive note, getting three hits and scoring a run in the top of the first inning. Justin Alvey and Jordan Lindsey each earned singles before JM Lyle’s single into right center plated Alvey and put the Dragons up 1-0 early.
South Warren responded in the ensuing frame with a pair of hits, courtesy of Lawrence and Evans. Lawrence placed a blooper just behind the first base bag in right before Evans’ RBI double up the middle tied it.
Lindsey tallied his second hit of contest in the third on a double all of the way to the left field wall to put Central in a good position, but a groundout to first scratched the threat.
A four-hit, two-run bottom half of the third put the Spartans back on top. Vincent began the offensive-powered frame with a double and crossed the plate on Lawrence’s single – just before Evans’ single scored Lawrence and made it 3-1.
“Going up 2-0 in the series is pretty good,” Lawrence said. “But we still have more business to take care of. In District (play), we’ve just gotta keep it up.”
After Peyton Eversole doubled in the top of the fourth to cut the Dragons’ deficit to a single run, South added three runs off three hits in the next set to increase its advantage to 6-2.
Clay Nohel singled and Sam Gage was hit by an Ethan Stephens pitch, bringing Smith to the plate with an opportunity to take control for good. Smith – a senior leader – connected on a fastball to clear the bases and give him a triple. Following the dinger, Evans followed up with an RBI single.
“We’ve been swinging good – especially against this team,” Lawrence added. “Hopefully we can continue.”
Lyle’s second RBI single of the day in the fifth gave Central its third run, but that’s all the scoring it would do. The Spartans went on to plate a pair of runs in the bottom frame to go up 8-3 before they exploded for five in the sixth – which ended the game due to the 10-run rule.
The two sides will conclude the slate Thursday at 6 p.m. at Warren Central High School. As the Dragons try to avoid the sweep, South Warren looks to take all three.
“We have to play our best,” Gage added. “Hopefully the kids go out there and focus – it’s sometimes tough for teenage kids to do that three days in a row. We’ll see if they can concentrate three-straight days.”
-Follow Sporting Times High School Insider Tyler Mansfield on Twitter @CallMeMansfield–
