Hawks crush Panthers, 15-1
PG takes district run-rule win
TEXARKANA, Texas — Pleasant Grove put up five runs in the fourth inning and run-ruled North Lamar, 15-1, in a District 15-4A baseball game at Hawk Field on Tuesday.
“Up and down our lineup, everyone from the starters to the bench were locked in the whole game,” Hawks head coach Riley Fincher said. “I thought we did an outstanding job against their pitcher, who is one of the top returning arms in our district. Our guys got up there and competed from the first pitch and on.
“We had a lot of 2-out hits to extend many innings. Our pitchers did a great job of filling up the strike zone. We gave up some hits here and there and that’s fine. We allowed three free passes, but our pitchers did good throwing strikes.”
Pleasant Grove (13-4, 3-1) starting pitcher senior Tucker Anderson earned the win, threw two innings, allowed four hits and a run (unearned), struck out two and walked a pair.
The Hawks scored five runs in the fourth frame to take a monumental 15-1 lead into the top of the fifth. JM Long and Hayden Koller hit backto-back singles, and Brock Bearden drove in Koller on a single to right field. Alex Galvan had an infield single, and Alex Murphy walked as another Pleasant Grove run scored.
Murphy scored on a passed ball to give the Hawks a 13-1 advantage. Cason Head smacked a 2-run single to center as the Hawks took full command of the game, up 15-1 going into the top of the fifth.
Galvan, who pitched in relief of Anderson, induced a flyball for an out in the fifth. Hudson Twisdale came in for Pleasant Grove, and the Hawks retired the next two batters on groundouts to seal the run-rule victory.
Reliever Galvan tossed 2 1/3 innings, did not allow a run, struck out three, walked one and scattered three hits.
North Lamar had runners on the corners with an out in the first frame when Pleasant Grove’s Josh Brown fielded a groundball, tagged the runner headed to second and threw to first for the double play.
Brenton Clark led off the Hawk first with a single to right field and, a batter later, Galvan was hit by a pitch. Anderson walked to juice the bases with two outs. Head smacked a line drive past the second baseman’s outstretched glove as two runs scored to give PG a 2-0 lead. Traveler Couch laced in an RBI single to left field to pad the Hawks’ advantage, 3-0, after the first frame.
The Panthers tacked on a run in the top of the second to help bridge the gap, 3-1. But Pleasant Grove scored four runs in the bottom part of the inning to take a 7-1 lead.
Koller led off the second with a single to left field, with two outs Galvan was hit by a pitch and Murphy walked to load the bases for the Hawks. Koller scored on a passed ball and Galvan scored on a throwing error to make it 5-1. Couch hit a bloop 2-run single to left to put Pleasant Grove up, 7-1.
Koller, who had reached on an error, scored when Galvan walked with the bases juiced to increase the Hawk lead, 8-1. Anderson smacked a 2-run double down the left-field line to make it a nine-run game, 10-1.
The Hawks travel to Gilmer to take on the Buckeyes in a District 15-4A clash at 6 p.m. on Friday.