That’s why baseball coaches like big scoring innings and like them early. Because the other side may come up with one, and usually their rallies come up one or two runs short.
On Saturday at the Demon Diamond, Warner Robins High scored nine first-inning runs, which was one more than Fayette County High’s Tigers would plate for the entire game. Coming off a 9-3 Region 2-AAAAA loss on the road to Jones County on Friday, Bill Beatty’s club earned the non-region win by a 12-8 final.
“We got that big lead and tried to give the young kids a chance to play,” said Beatty. “I’m trying to get their confidence up. A few of them are struggling. Ten of our 18 are ninth and 10th graders, so I’m trying to get them some playing time. They didn’t handle it very well.”
Beatty’s lineup all season has been filled with first-time varsity starters because only one, A.J. Priaulx, started last season. He’s had to rework the infield from second to third and work in a new catcher and outfield.
“We have some quality guys out there,” said Beatty. “Just not having many reps last year, it’s going to take a little time. We’re getting better. I think we’re hitting the ball a little better now, but we’re still making a few mental mistakes, a few errors here and there that hurt us.”
The Warner Robins pitching load has come down to four players, three of whom will be familiar names to those who follow Demon football. Caden Johnston, the quarterback, plays shortstop when he’s not on the mound, and linebackers Jarrod Crum and Landon Hopf will be Beatty’s designated pitcher if they are not the hurler.
Hopf started Saturday’s game with Fayette pitching into the fifth inning. The Demon pitcher out of the bullpen is Kevin Karika, who closed out the win against the Tigers.
“Karika came in all three games (last) week,” said Beatty. “He doesn’t have a lot of velocity, but his location’s pretty good. I think he gets hitters way out in front. He was effective all three games, and those three other guys have done a decent job starting.”
If there is one player for Beatty to build around, it is Priaulx, who hit two solo home runs Friday at Jones. His production in the nine-run inning Saturday would be a good line score for anyone over one whole contest: four runs batted in on a double and a single.
“He’s pretty hot right now,” the coach said. “He can hit with the best of them. If we can get him going full time, we’ll be pretty dangerous in the middle of the lineup.”
Fayette County scored first on Warner Robins by getting one in its initial try. Dangerous leadoff batter Wahid Ali singled to shallow center, and Sam Fielding reached base behind him.
Johnston, in tandem with Brannon Green at second base, turned a tough grounder by big pitcher Chris Carden into a 4-6-3 ‘bang-bang’ double play. Ali was still on third base and scored on a ‘ducksnort’ single to right by catcher Alex Adrone.
Hopf retired big first baseman Chris Jones on a first-pitch grounder to Green.
In the Demon half, 13 batters went to the plate to score nine runs on seven hits. Cody Suskay reached on an error as the leadoff batter, and then the Demons took batting practice.
Johnston ripped a first-pitch single past the third baseman, and Priaulx sent the first delivery he saw to the gap in right-center (two RBI). Wesley Davis, another football linebacker on the baseball roster, singled between the shortstop and third baseman, and a hit batsman filled the bags for catcher Trey Maddox.
Warner Robins went ahead 4-1 as Maddox doubled home two in the same right-center gap. It was 5-1 on a wild pitch, and then third baseman Chase Vaughn sent a ‘seeing-eye’ single to right for an RBI.
Carden recorded his first out, but then gave up a shallow single to right by Green (7-1). Priaulx had two in scoring position for his second appearance, and his two-out single completed the rally.
Hopf gave up three hits in the top of the second, but Maddox threw out one runner trying to steal and centerfielder Suskay caught a first-pitch liner for the third out (Tigers on the corners).
Johnston doubled in Suskay for a 10-1 lead in the home third. Fayette had just one baserunner in both the third and fourth, but the outlook of the game changed in the fifth when 11 Tigers went to the plate for six runs on six hits.
Ali and Fielding singled to set up an RBI double for Carden. Adorne’s RBI single was the 10th for Fayette against Hopf, and Beatty made the move to Karika with the score 10-3. Jones hit Karika’s first pitch for a sacrifice fly.
The next three Tigers would reach base, the third on an error that cut the lead down to four. With two outs, Ali beat out an infield hit driving in the sixth run for 10-7.
The Demon offense faced reliever Daman Haskett the rest of the way, and he got out of the home fifth leaving one on base. Karika gave up two hits in the top of the sixth, but struck out the side, including Haskett, who represented the tying run.
Fayette committed three errors in the home sixth allowing two Demon insurance runs. Ali scored an unearned run in the top of the seventh, but Karika escaped further trouble thanks to two good stretches at first base from Priaulx.
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