Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Concrete Feet
LINCOLN — Lincoln baseball coach Justin Bounds may have never seen the “Run Steve, Run” episode of the “Six Million Dollar Man” which originally aired on April 26, 1974. But, maybe he didn’t need to. In that episode, Steve Austin, the hero is shot with a tranquilizer dart and captured. When he comes to, he has his feet set in concrete after the bad guys use a radar gun to track him running 60 mph. Neither the concrete nor chains around his wrist were a match for Austin’s bionics. Likewise, Bounds doesn’t want his base- runners or batters hindered by mental chains or emotional stumbling blocks.
Down 0-2 at home to Huntsville on Friday, Lincoln was threatening with two outs in the bottom of the second inning. Cordelle Whetsell drew a walk on four straight
pitches by Eagle starting pitcher Ty Shackleford. Two batters later, Zach Duncan reached a full- count and took ball-4 to put runners at the corners. With Ryan Flickinger batting, Duncan stole second. No throw was forthcoming with Huntsville trying to protect home-plate. At that juncture, Bounds sent in Nathan Khilling as a pinch-runner for Duncan, only to watch as the next batter watched a called strike-three go by.
Bounds admonished his hitter to swing the bat, saying he had wasted a pinch-runner on the play.
Huntsville overcame an off-day by their pitcher to post an 8-1 win at Lincoln in non- conference 4A- 1 baseball action Friday. The Eagles led 1-0 at the end of the first inning and gradu- ally increased their lead. In the second inning, Lincoln starter Josh Jetton was hurt by fielding plays. Sean McCone beat a throw to first to avoid a second out. Jack Eaton advanced him with a line-drive over shortstop. McCone would score on a throwing error when a toss to third went past the infielder. Jetton induced a groundout to third to get out of the inning, but the Eagles were now in front by two runs.
They added a third run in the top of the fourth. Lincoln tried to answer in their half of the inning. Jetton led off with a walk and advanced to third when Whetsell made contact. He put the ball in play and it took a bounce allowing him to reach first. Huntsville successfully defended a squeeze play tagging a courtesy-runner out at the plate, prompting Bounds to instruct his players not to get their feet in concrete. Huntsville got strike-outs for outs No. 2 and No. 3.
The Eagles added 4 runs in the top of the seventh. Sterling Morphis walked in the bottom of the seventh and scored on a passed ball to give Lincoln a run, but Huntsville matched that with one run in the seventh and won, 8-1.
Huntsville coach Greg Harris noted the pitching problems for the Eagles, saying Shackelford had been one of their good left-handed pitchers.
“He just battled his control today,” Harris said. “But he competed. He’s young, he’ll get better.”
On the opposite side of the coin, Harris praised Lincoln starter Jetton.
“The kid did a good job,” Harris said. “He threw strikes. He rolled it over on us.”