By By BRUCE HIXON Sports Editor
It looked like the same game twice, except there was a big difference.
In the first game of Monday's home doubleheader, the Jefferson Davis Community College Warhawks baseball team hit the cover off the ball in a 13-3, six-inning victory over Triton (Ill.). It was Triton's turn in the nightcap, as the Trojans lashed out 22 hits in a 14-5 victory to earn a split.
"I'm not satisfied with a split. We did a lot of good things in the opener, but I thought we got a little complacent in the nightcap," JDCC coach Jim Morrill said.
The Warhawks (9-6) used a 16-hit attack to capture the opener. Kris Williams, Micah Leopard and Leon Brasington all came up with three hits, while Brent Childress and Chet McDonough each had two. The first of McDonough's hits was a solo homerun that started the game's scoring in the second inning.
The Warhawks erupted for 11 more runs over their next three trips to the plate and added a final tally in the sixth inning to kick the 10-run rule into effect.
Kenny Barnes scattered eight hits, walked none and struck out two in a complete game win.
Despite the final score, JDCC had its chances to complete the sweep in game two, especially early in the contest.
Williams drew a bases loaded walk in the first inning that cut Triton's lead to 2-1, but the Warhawks left the bases full.
JDCC also stranded the bases loaded in the second inning although it got an RBI double by Brasington and a bases loaded walk to Childress that tied the game at 3-3.
After Triton took the lead for good at 4-3 thanks to a solo homer in the top of the third inning, JDCC left its seventh and eighth runners on base in the bottom half of the inning.
"Their pitcher was really struggling to find the strike zone and we never got the big hit to knock him out," Morrill said.
The run Triton scored in the top of the third was the start of 11 unaswered markers for the Trojans. Triton pushed across three runs in the fourth and fifth innings and two more in the sixth and seventh innings.
Childress provided a late highlight for the Warhawks with a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning.
Starting pitcher Chris Gudaitis suffered the loss for JDCC.
The Warhawks pulled off a twinbill sweep against visiting Shawnee (Ill.) Saturday by identical 8-5 scores.
JDCC had a slim 3-2 lead in the fourth inning of the opener until Leopard belted a grand slam homer to make it 7-2. Leopard also had a two-run single in the game for six total RBIs.
Dustin Blackwell went the distance on a six-hitter for the win, as he fanned eight and struck out none.
In game two, JDCC raced out to a 6-0 lead in the first three innings before Shawnee cut that advantage to just 6-5 over the next three innings. JDCC got a pair of key insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning that helped preserve the win.
Leopard had a pair of hits and an RBI to pace the Warhawks, while Steven Walls also had two hits.
Starting hurler Rieko Moyer
See WARHAWKS Page 7A
went four and one-third innings for the win, as he gave up four hits to go along with eighth strikeouts.
JDCC will host St. Charles Thursday for a 12 noon doubleheader and play at Jefferson Sunday for another twinbill.
Saturday's game one
Shawnee 101 030 0 – 5 6 0
JDCC 120 410 X – 8 6 3
Game two
Shawnee 000 122 0 – 5 8 1
JDCC 105 002 X – 8 7 1
Monday's game one
Triton 001 200 – 3 8 1
JDCC 013 441 – 13 16 0
Game two
Triton 211 332 2 – 14 22 0
JDCC 120 000 2 – 5 6 0