Washington County Enterprise-Leader
Baseball Season Is Under Way
FARMINGTON — No matter who stepped up to bat, hitter after hitter produced in Farmington’s runaway 21-2 mercy-rule victory over West Fork on Friday in non-conference baseball action.
The hit parade started early with the Cards smacking six hits including Hayden Sutton’s home run to take a 6-0 lead in the first inning capped by Jacob Thompson’s stand-up double RBI.
In the top of the second, Farmington starter Brandon Pittman struggled to control his pitches allowing two West Fork runs on one hit with three walks. After he walked in a run with the bases loaded, Farmington coach Jay Harper sent Adam Ness to the mound in relief and he recorded a strikeout to end the inning.
Ness then went to work at the plate and sent a leadoff double deep into the left corner. He went to third on a wild pitch and eventually scored on Sutton’s single up the middle. After taking two called strikes, Flint Oxford calmly belted an RBI to push Farmington’s lead to 9-2.
Ness struck out the Tigers in order during the third and drew a walk following Nick Huff ’s RBI single. Sutton was hit by a pitch and with the bases again loaded, Tyler Gregg drove in a run with a sacrifice fly as did Cade Black on a fielder’s choice for a 12-2 Farmington advantage.
Farmington exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the fourth inning on four hits coupled with two West Fork errors. Twelve Farmington batters challenged West Fork relievers. Nathan Farmer came in as the third Tiger pitcher with the bases loaded and only one out facing a 15-2 deficit.
Ryan Larkin had a solid at-bat for the Cardinals as the first hitter Farmer faced. Larkin took three straight balls, then after reaching a full count, took ball four to score a run.
Farmer walked in another run and gave up an RBI single. Hunter McManus increased the margin to 18-2 with a single advancing as two more Cardinal runs scored on a double. He appeared to be caught in a rundown between third and home for the second time in the week but wily avoided an out by inducing the Tigers into committing an error when a throw sailed past the catcher’s glove.
McManus scored on the play, which infuriated the West Fork coaches, who chastised the infield for being lazy and not aggressively trying to tag out McManus. The Tigers came up with a double play to end the inning with Farmington way out front, 21-2.
Gregg pitched the fifth inning for Farmington and retired the Tigers in order, striking out Jake Journagan and Harrison Johnson.
“I’ve been on both ends of that spectrum,” Harper said, referring to the blowout win. “We worked some of our younger guys in and they did good job of hitting the baseball. That’s all you can ask for.”
“Adam Ness did a good job of pitching. Brandon Pittman struggled a little bit pitching but we’ll work through that.”
West Fork had two runs on three hits committing five errors and leaving six men on base. The Cardinals committed four errors and left five base runners stranded with 21 runs on 16 hits.