Sonoraville HS remains red-hot in region action
The Sonoraville High School baseball team not only won three more Region 6-3A games rather easily last week, but the Phoenix may have made history in the process.
The trio of mercy rule victories also kept the Phoenix near the top of the league standing two weeks into the Region schedule.
“We played three really good ballgames last week,” said Sonoraville head baseball coach Daron Walraven. “We swung the bats really well. Anytime you go out and can score 42 runs in three games. you’re swinging it well and that’s what we were able to do last week. We got multiple hits from all the kids up and down the lineup.
“Our pitchers also threw the ball well. We threw strikes and didn’t walk people. We had a couple of mistakes on defense, which were always working to get better at and eliminate, but overall. I was very happy with the way we played last week and our approach to all three of the games.”
Their first win of the week came last Tuesday when they blitzed LaFayette, 14-0 behind senior pitcher Trevor Childers’ no-hitter. And that no-no may be the first no-hitter in school history although that is something the coach said he couldn’t totally confirm.
Then on Thursday, the Phoenix got another big offensive effort and great pitching outing to belt North Murray, 16-5 in the first of their two outings in two days.
And on Friday it was rinseand-repeat in the rematch as the Phoenix smashed the Mountaineers, 12-2, for a sweep of North Murray and their fifth win in six region outings.
“We did a lot of good things at the plate in those games,” Walraven said. “We were patient but we were aggressive. We didn’t swing at bad pitches. We didn’t get ourselves out. And that’s something we talk about all the time, not swinging at bad pitches. And we did a real good job of that in those games. But it really was a team thing. We had multiple guys up and down the lineup and coming off the bench getting hits for us with runners on base. It was good to see and hopefully we can continue to have that approach offensively.”
Besides flattening Lafayette just days after having to rally for a 14-13 win over the Ramblers, the coach said Childers was brilliant in tossing was he believes in the first no-hitter at Sonoraville.
“I’m pretty sure it is the first no-hitter our school has ever had, but I’m not totally positive,” Walraven said. “wBut I do know if it isn’t the first, then it’s one of the very, very few we have ever had.”
Only a pair of walks and a late Sonoraville error kept him from a perfect game as Childers was razor-sharp from the first pitch.
“He threw the ball really well,” Walraven said. “He got ahead of the hitters all day. He was throwing strikes. He had good command of all of his pitches. He was really just on top of his game and it was fun to watch.”
Dawson Townsend had a two-run single to jump-start the offense as the Phoenix scored three runs in the first inning.
They would hold an 8-0 lead going into the sixth inning and finish it off with six runs in that frame.
Two days later, the Phoenix began their sweep of North Murray with their highest single-game run total this year in a 16-5 win at The Furnace.
“That is the most runs we’ve scored in a game this year and again, it was everyone up-and-down the lineup that contributed,” the coach said.
Junior Zach Lyles had two doubles and sophomore shortstop Jaxon Pate had three hits to pace the offense.
Townsend was the starting and winning pitcher for Sonoraville, working the first four innings.
The Big Red went up 2-0 in the top of the first inning before the Mountain Men scored three runs in the bottom of the first to lead 3-2 after one.
From there though, the Phoenix scored 14 straight runs to lead 16-3 before the hosts scored the game’s final two runs.
Then on Friday, junior pitcher Matthew Parrott threw a two-hitter and needed just 80 pitches to shut down North Murray by 12-2 decision.
“Matthew pitched very well,” Walraven said. “He was very efficient. He was another guy that threw strikes and our defense did their jobs behind him. It really completed a good week for us because our goal going into last week was to win three games and with that second win over North Murray, we were able to do that.”
They have three more important Region 6-3A games this week, taking on unbeaten-in-the-league Rockmart Tuesday (Details were not available at press time) and Thursday before hosting LakeviewFort Oglethorpe Friday.
“It’s a big week for us,” Walraven said. “We’ve got two games with Rockmart and they still haven’t lost in the league. And I know last year I thought they had the best pitching in the league and they didn’t make the playoffs. Both of our games last year were tough and we were able to split with them. We beat them with a walk-off run and then we lost to them one to nothing, so I know that will be a tough series with them and then we play LFO Friday, so we need to come out and be ready to go.”