NEW MARKET — The good news is that Southmont’s baseball team continues to score runs.
The bad news is that they continue to give up a lot of runs.
So it was in a 30-11 loss to Seeger Monday night.
Scoring in each of their first three at-bats, the Mounties had to try and claw back from deep deficits, and after two innings, they had gotten the game back to a three-run affair, albeit it took 90 minutes to play those first two frames.
But their bats were silenced by the Patriots relief pitcher, while Seeger continued to hit and run, or in some cases, get hit and then run.
“I’m really happy with the hitting,” South coach Brad Wininger said, “but we are at that spot right now where one mistake or bad thing leads to a bunch more.”
That was the case for South, whose falls to 1-3 on the season.
In the top of the first, a leadoff out was followed by three soft singles that loaded the bases.
“We had a double-play ball,” Wininger said. “We could have been out of the inning with no runs scored,” he added, noting an error on a ground ball to the next hitter.
That two-hopper and maybe three outs became 11 Seeger runs in that same top of the first.
The Patriots scored in each at-bat, posting 20 hits, and taking advantage of six South errors and six hit batsmen.
Down 14-3 heading into the bottom of the second, South put eight runs up, highlighted by the first home run in new Mounties Stadium.
It was a good one too, as Mason Hall put one well over the high fence in left field with three runners on, so the first one out was indeed a grand slam.
Adam Cox scored three runs, while Hall and Conner McKinney each got in twice, as South totaled 10 hits.
Nick Scott, who struck out 16 last week against Covington, didn’t fare as well on the mound, as the sophomore lasted only into the second inning, to be relieved by Hall, Carter Hubble, Caden Jones and Braydon McCloud. Several of the pitchers were on pitch counts, with Sagamore Conference games starting tomorrow and continuing Wednesday.
The Patriots, who win their first game of the season, and sit at 1-2, had offensive stars everywhere.
Nick Turner, the catcher, reached base six times, and his courtesy runner, Nathan Stephen, scored six times. Nearly every batter went to the plate six times in five innings.
Drew Holland was the starting pitcher, but gave up all 11 Southmont runs. He was relieved by Christian Holland, who picked up the win in relief by allowing no runs in 3.1 innings pitched.
Adam Cox will get the start for the Mounties tonight when they open conference play against Tri-West.
The Patriots open WRC play against North Vermillion.
