Southern Wayne left-hander Tyler Odom warms up in the bullpen before he takes the mound against Hunt on Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Drew Sweet squares up to bunt during action against Quad County 3A foe Wilson Hunt on Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Jake Coates adjusts his batting gloves as he watches the pitcher warm up Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne first baseman Alex Ferrell waits for the throw as a Hunt player dives back to the bag Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Brayden McKee hustles back to first as Hunt’s first baseman reels in a throw from the outfield during early-inning action Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne second baseman Logan Denning snares the throw from catcher Graham James and tags a Hunt runner out on a stolen-base attempt Friday evening. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
Southern Wayne’s Omar Soler Sanchez fouls off a pitch during an at-bat against Wilson Hunt on Friday afternoon. The Warriors defeated the Saints, 6-0. (Rudy Coggins|mountolivetribune.com)
DUDLEY — Throughout its six-game win streak, Southern Wayne has erupted early offensively and expanded leads on its opponents.
That didn’t happen Friday evening.
Instead, Hunt caught the hitting bug over the final three innings and claimed a 12-3 conquest of the Saints on the Quad County 3A baseball scene.
“We didn’t play poorly, they just hit everything we threw up there … had a really good night offensively,” Southern Wayne head coach Trae McKee said. “Everything they didn’t hit hard were in those ‘tweeter’ areas [and] softer-hit balls found holes in no man’s land.
“I tip my hat to them.”
Dylan Daniels’ catch in deep left-center field and Alex Ferrell’s line-drive stab at first base kept the Warriors off the board during their first at-bat.
Brimming with confidence, the Saints (6-1 overall, 1-1 QCC) answered with a two-run inning. Hayden Waller scored on a passed ball and Ferrell trotted home on Tyler Odom’s RBI groundout.
Hunt knotted it at 2-2 in the second.
Odom induced an inning-ending groundout in the third. He received help from junior catcher Drew Sweet, who gunned down a runner at second to end the fourth.
The Saints left runners on the corners in both the third and fourth innings.
“We got things going a little bit, couldn’t drive them in when we got them out there,” said McKee, whose team stranded 11 runners. “We hit seven balls square on the nose that they made unbelievable defensive plays on. That’s a momentum shifter-type thing there.
“Those balls hit the wall or get into the grass, that helps build the momentum on our side.”
The Warriors took a 4-2 lead in the fifth and broke open the game one inning later. Odom surrendered four runs — all with two outs. A defensive miscue helped spark the rally that included a two-run bomb from sophomore CJ Radford.
McKee recalled the crucial first-and-third play.
“Two outs, two strikes … we just didn’t execute in that situation,” McKee said. “That was a momentum-shifting play. They’re only trying to score that run from third. That turned the tide a little bit there and gave them a little cushion.”
Ferrell relieved Odom and finished the sixth.
Waller threw the seventh.
Hunt cranked out 17 hits, including seven doubles.
Daniels paced the Saints’ offense with two hits. Waller (RBI), Ferrell, Odom and E’lla Boykin contributed one hit apiece. Ferrell and Waller each stole a base.
“I thought we played hard,” McKee said. “I’m not upset with our effort. We did some really good things and obviously there are things we’d like to have done better tonight.
“[This is] a little bump in the road.”
Southern Wayne returns home Tuesday to face QCC foe South Johnston. The JV game starts at 4 p.m.
