Cavs claim pitchers’ duel
Published 10:38 pm Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Lakeland junior Randall Jones got his first victory as a Cavalier pitcher and his first complete game on the hill for his squad’s first win of the season Tuesday at city rival King’s Fork.
Jones allowed no extra-base hits and struck out six Bulldogs as Lakeland made a little early offense stand up for a 3-1 win.
King’s Fork (1-2) came into the city contest off its first win of the season and had no problem moving runners around and home in a 9-6 win over Deep Creek Friday. Instead though, the Cavaliers (1-2) won for the third straight season at King’s Fork.
Lakeland gained the lead without hitting a ball out of the infield in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Lance Smith walked, reached second on a groundout and moved to third on David Waterfield’s infield single, a slow chopper down the third-base line. Tyler Strange rolled a grounder between short and third which the Bulldogs couldn’t come up with for an error and an RBI.
The Cavaliers turned nothing into a pair of runs in the second. With two outs and a runner on first Smith doubled to deep right for one run. Jones followed with a double into right-center field to make it 3-0 Cavs.
Jones worked around single Bulldog singles in each of the first three innings. The Bulldogs loaded the bases, with two hits and a walk, with no outs in the bottom of the fifth.
A sacrifice fly for one run and the second Bulldog out of the inning was all the Bulldogs mustered out of the threat.
“Our defense saved my life,” Jones said. “The defense was key the whole game. If I didn’t have them playing like they did I would’ve lost.”
Counting the last three outs of the fifth, Jones retired the last nine Bulldogs he faced in order.
J.T. Wilson pitched a fine game in a losing effort for the Bulldogs, going all seven innings and allowing five hits while striking out seven. Four of Wilson’s last five frames went three up, three down.
“It was fastballs outside, on the outside part of the plate, all day long,” Jones said.
“It’s a big deal (to win against King’s Fork) but we’ve got another game tomorrow,” Jones said.
Lakeland goes outside the Southeastern, playing at Churchland, Wednesday at 4 p.m.
King’s Fork’s next ballgame is home against Grassfield Friday at 5:30 p.m.