Ridgeland wins Walker County showdown
The Ridgeland Panthers had just two hits last Monday night, but parlayed them into six runs as they opened the 2022 season with a 6-3 home victory over Walker County rival LaFayette.
The Ramblers, also making their season debut, pushed home two runs in the top of the first inning on a Ridgeland error. However, they gave one back on an error in the bottom of the first before the Panthers tied things up with a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dyllan Curtis.
Then in the third, Ridgeland took the lead for good as starting pitcher Hayden Brewer helped himself at the plate with a two-out RBI-single to score Curtis Wells.
Another LaFayette error in the fifth, along with a sacrifice fly by Brewer, added two more runs to the Panthers’ total. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Levi Millsaps was hit by a pitch and later stole second base. He tagged up to third on a fly ball and scored on a bunt by Chris Maddeaux.
The final run of the game came in the top of the seventh as LaFayette as Zain Smith delivered a two-out RBIsingle to plate James Wathen.
Brewer got the victory on the mound. He pitched six strong innings, allowing five hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. Only one of the three runs he allowed were earned. Ethan Waters came on in the seventh to get the save. He gave up one hit in, but recorded all three outs on strikes.
Maddeaux went 2 for 4 with the RBI, while Millsaps also doubled and stole a pair of bases.
LaFayette got three hits, a run and an RBI from Smith. Skylar Cepeda struck out eight batters, but was saddled with the loss. He gave up three runs, two earned, on two hits and five walks in four innings. Cody Davis allowed two runs, one earned, in less than an inning’s worth of work, and Nick Radtke gave up one earned run in two innings of relief.
Details from LaFayette’s game at Northwest this past Tuesday and the Ramblers’ three games in Savannah this past weekend, along with information from Ridgeland’s Saturday afternoon home game against Rome, are available on our website.