Greenwood blanks Russellville in opener

GREENWOOD 3, RUSSELLVILLE 0

GREENWOOD — Greenwood’s first 5A-West doubleheader of the season was delayed 27 minutes due to a mixup with the umpires on the start time.

Aiden Kennon, though, made quick work of Russellville, pitching deep into the seventh inning and hurling the Bulldogs to a 3-0 win on Tuesday afternoon.

Kennon pitched around trouble early and cruised late to run his shutout-inning streak to 11 to start the season.

John Read doubled hard to left on Kennon’s first pitch of the game, and Russellville (0-7, 0-1) put runners on each of the first four innings.

“He was leaving the ball down the middle early on,” Greenwood coach Brandon Brewer said. “When he got settled, he hit the corners and his spots really good.”

Kennon, though, stranded six runners, including four in scoring position, during the first four innings.

“We took chances early to be able to cross a run,” Russellville coach Will McCrotty said. “Give credit to Mr. Kennon, he did a great job battling. He was able to make some pitches and get his team out of jams. We had chances but just didn’t execute.”

After Mason Brady singled with two outs in the fourth, Kennon retired nine in a row and only a two-out error in the seventh prevented a complete-game. Kennon was at 96 pitches after retiring the first two batters of the seventh, and Brewer went out to relieve him.

“He’s had two really good starts, good outings for us,” Brewer said. “His pitch count got up there a little more than we wanted to. I went out there to get the ball from him, and he wouldn’t give it to me. He’s a competitor.”

Two pitches later, though, after a booted ground ball, Brewer did go to Austin Mitchell, who needed just two pitches to earn the save and close down the victory.

Kennon finished with six strikeouts and gave up just five hits with a masterful curveball.

“Definitely, my curveball,” Kennon said. “I was throwing that a lot. Toward the end of the game, my changeup was getting some ground balls and bad contact. My change up was feeling really good.”

Kennon yielded just the lone single in Russellville’s final 15 batters.

“I was throwing harder down the stretch,” Kennon said. “The way we were mixing the counts with the curveball and sliders and fastballs and changeups, it was confusing the batters. I really got better as the game went on and as I threw more pitches.”

Greenwood ( 2- 3, 1- 0) scored all the runs it needed in the third and fifth innings.

Mitchell singled with an out in the third, took second on a base rap by Harrison Adams, and the two scored on Dawson Holt’s ringing double.

“That was huge,” Brewer said. “We were stringing together some good ABs, we just had nothing to show for it. Then we got some hits, and Dawson put the double down the line to put us ahead. That’s what you expect from a senior.”

Grant Karnes stole second and third after reaching on a fielder’s choice in the fifth and scored on Brady Pettigrew’s grounder that was thrown away at first base.