Tables turned in VH-NS series

Talk about turning the tables.
On March 7 at Dyson Field, the Northside High baseball Eagles flexed some serious muscle on the Veterans High Warhawks. So much so that the game ended on the mercy rule.
The two clubs met again Wednesday, this time on the Veterans campus. This game also ended early, only it was the Warhawks dominating from the opening pitch to the tune of an 11-1 victory.
Left-hander Ross Martin pitched into the sixth inning for Warhawk coach David Coffey. That is when he gave up the Eagles’ only run of the day, and the score was only 5-1 when the coach made a change to R.J. Skeen. The previous Friday, Skeen won a complete-game outing in Region 2-AAAA at West Laurens.
There was one out as Skeen took the mound, and he recorded the second out before Northside loaded the bases. Trey Payne singled and Skeen issued a walk to bring up Derek Byrne, the second baseman. It was Veterans’ second sacker, Mickey Dugan, who speared Byrne’s grounder for a close force out at second.
The Warhawks went on to score six times in the bottom of the sixth.
Martin went through Northside’s lineup the first time without giving up a hit. For the first 11 he faced in three full innings, only Jesus Monserratt reached base on walks. Ethan Broome broke up the no-hitter by leading off the top of the fourth on a deep double to right field.
In that fourth frame, Veterans shortstop Tyler Daughtery handled a tough grounder from Kendall Scott. Though Broome advanced to third, Martin kept him there to maintain the shutout.
Veterans’ offense struck for three runs in the home first with the help of two doubles. Kal Dempsey led off with a two-bagger to right, and Dugan put down a sacrifice bunt. Northside, though, went for the out at third base, so instead it was Warhawks on the corner bases. Zane Conlon drove home both on a double to right.
Micah Wells advanced Conlon to third base, and it was 3-0 on a wild pitch. The Eagle infield turned a double play from Monserratt to Byrne to Broome to end it.
Conlon ripped a second double in Veterans’ third inning with one out, and Wells drew a walk. Monserratt went all the way into left field to catch a shallow pop off the bat of Kyle King, and right fielder Bryan Dyson went all the way to the wall to deny Zach Johnson of extra bases and RBI.
It was in the home fourth that the Warhawks went ahead 5-0 as Daughtry led off with his team’s fourth double. Zach Wilkes put down a bunt that rolled on the third-base line, staying fair. With the bases loaded, Dempsey and Dugan recorded sacrifice flies.
Northside’s fifth inning rally began with Tyler Flood’s walk. Broome moved him over as David Shipplett, at third base, stabbed his short grounder. Kendall Scott reached down and singled up the middle plating the run.
Veterans left the bases loaded without scoring in the fifth, but made up for it in the sixth with seven hits, all singles. Dempsey began things with an infield safety, was on third base due to a pick-off error and scored on Conlon’s hit. Dempsey batted a second time and batted home the 11th run. Other RBI went to starters King and Johnson and pinch-hitters Harley Hunt and Keaton Allen.
Both teams were coming off region victories on Tuesday in their home parks. The Warhawks blasted Westside High of Macon 12-2 with an eight-run first inning and 12 overall hits. Preston Sparks struck out 10 in five innings. Multi-hit games came from Dempsey, Dugan, Conlon and Daughtry, and Wells doubled for an RBI.
Northside shut out Jones County in Region 2-AAAAA 3-0. Coach Chris Harrelson said it was a great game of pitching from both sides, the shutout going to both Scott and Griffen Nauss. The real save, according to the coach, was from Payne in left field on his sliding catch to end the sixth inning when Jones loaded the bases.

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