RONDA — Lights out relief pitching and clutch hitting played key factors in Mount Airy baseball’s 4-3 win over East Wilkes in extra innings.
Rylan Venable helped the Granite Bears earn a season sweep of the Cardinals when he connected on a towering solo home run to straight away center field in the top of the eighth inning. Mount Airy took the first matchup versus East 13-5 on March 14.
East Wilkes, which dropped to 0-2 in Northwest 1A Conference play with the March 16 loss, still had a chance to extend the game. The Cardinals needed one of its bottom three in the batting order to get on base to get to the top of the lineup, which had three of the Cardinals’ seven hits in the ball game.
But Ian Gallimore, who came on in relief in the bottom of the sixth, closed the door on the potential comeback bid as he struck out the side to pick up the win.
The junior lefty held East Wilkes (3-5) hitless over the game’s final three innings and struck out eight while allowing just a single base runner.
That lone base runner was Brennan Arnder, who reached on an error in the bottom of the seventh. The senior center fielder also finished 2-for-4 at the plate to lead the Cardinals.
Venable’s homer wasn’t the only long ball the Granite Bears (5-4, 2-0 NW1A) hit in the game as Camryn Wilson’s homer in the top of the seventh tied the game 3-3.
The Granite Bears put Hayden Durham, the Cardinals reliever, in a jam after Wilson’s home run, as the home team had to work around a walk to Landon Cox and an Ashton Gwyn single with one out.
Cox was eventually caught stealing at home during Landon Gallimore’s at-bat, where a pitch hit him.
But Durham, who relieved Hank Porter in the sixth after the senior was nearing the pitch count limit, avoided further damage as he induced a Sam Martin groundout to Porter at shortstop.
After Arnder reached on the error to lead off the seventh, Gallimore left him stranded as he struck out Ledger Blackburn, Tyler Mash and Durham in order.
Before the late-inning heroics, the Cardinals held a 2-0 lead after four innings.
East Wilkes built up the lead in the bottom of the second on the strength of RBI singles from the Cardinals No. 9 and leadoff hitters — Seth Lambert and Porter.
After Porter’s hit, the Cardinals looked to tack on more with one out and the bases loaded. But Venable, who started the game on the mound, left the bases loaded as the senior struck out Briggs Gentry and Arnder.
Mount Airy responded in the fifth to tie the game on RBI singles from Brison George and Cox.
Arnder gave the Cardinals the lead back when he scored on a fielder’s choice from Brody Martin.
Both of the game’s starting pitchers (Venable and Porter) pitched well but received no-decisions.
Porter did not allow an earned run and scattered four hits and three walks with six strikeouts in five innings of work. Venable struck out six and scattered seven hits in five innings with a pair of walks. Both Porter (two) and Venable (three) also hit multiple batters.
Venable went 2-for-5 at the plate with a double to go along with his home run, while Gwyn went 2-for-2 for Mount Airy. The Bears travel to South Stokes on March 21, then host the Sauras on March 24.
The Granite Bears will also host a nonconference tilt with East Surry on March 22.
Source: https://www.mtairynews.com
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