mbrown@sunmulti.com
As good as things looked when the Westfield Hornets piled on seven runs over two innings Saturday morning, things were on the disheartening side over the last three frames offensively when the 2013 baseball season began on the home field.
Still, with Garrett Brown and William Amos holding down the Pinewood Christian Patriots for seven full innings, Rob Fitzpatrick’s club began the new campaign in style as 7-1 victors.
Pinewood, a GISA Region 4-AAA team, had three hits against the Hornet senior-junior combination. Only one of those hits went for extra bases, and all of the safeties occurred in different innings. There were also three total walks issued to the Patriots and two hit batsmen.
Luke Callaway, Pinewood’s shortstop, doubled on Brown’s 3-2 offering to the wall in left field in the top of the first inning. Adam Coley was on base via a walk. He went to third base and scored on a Joseph Kennedy ground-out.
From there, the Patriots had an infield single in the third and two-out single to right in Amos’ first inning of work, the fifth.
Brown induced three groundouts to Gehrig Broxton at second base in that first frame. He went on to strike out six and got help from a caught-stealing throw by senior catcher Evan Williams for a double play to end the second.
Amos struck out five in three innings. Pinewood had a runner on third base in the fifth, but Amos used an inside delivery for a swinging third strike to end it.
All of Westfield’s offense took place in the first two innings on eight hits. Two of those exited the Hornet’s Nest off the bats of seniors Williams and Dustin Hall.
Williams, Fitzpatrick’s leadoff batter, started the first with a solid single to left on a 1-2 pitch from Bailey DeLoach. Though DeLoach would catch Williams in a rundown, the Hornet rally re-started on an error at third base and hit batter.
With two outs, Reid Hudson singled to left tying the game 1-1. Brown stepped in with two in scoring position due to Pinewood’s relay throw home. Brown’s base hit went down the third-base line driving both teammates home for 3-1.
Amos led off the home second singling up the middle. Broxton was the first in the lineup to hit the baseball in play in the air, the result being a flare single to shallow center. Williams proceeded to belt a three-run home run.
Hall’s home run, a solo shot, came with two outs.
The last hit Westfield had in the game was also in the second inning. It was a double to center by first baseman Wayne O’Neal. He advanced to third on a wild pitch, but his teammates could not drive him home.
From the fourth inning to the bottom of the sixth, the Hornets had eight baserunners, all from walks. The bags were left full in the bottom of the fourth and fifth. In that span, Westfield was 0-for-5 with runners on base with two strikeouts and a good running catch by the Patriot centerfielder ending the fifth.
