Lancers win first game of ’09
Photo by Lee Luther Jr.
Lancer second baseman Jesse Whitt touches the bag to force out Appomattox’s L.G. Gough during the March 12 game against the Raiders. Amherst won the game, its home opener, 10-7.
Published: March 18, 2009
It was your typical home opener for the Amherst baseball team last Thursday: Snow was forecast for later that night and the game was a little rough around the edges as the Lancers committed eight errors on their way to a 10-7 victory over visiting Appomattox.
Amherst (1-0) jumped out to an early lead by scoring nine runs in the bottom of the second inning. The big hits came off the bats of Trevor Woodson and Matt Stinnett. Woodson had a 2-run double over the head of the Raiders’ (0-1) right fielder and Stinnett had 2-run single back through the middle. Stinnett also led off the second inning with a double down the left field line.
Amherst had five of its eight hits in the second and 14 Lancers came to the plate in the inning.
“It was the first game of the year,” said Amherst coach Mike Padgett. “It was the first time we played anybody else. We missed our scrimmages. They were snowed out.”
The Lancers took a 10-0 lead in the third when Woodson led off with a double down the right field line. He scored on William Sligh’s single to center field.
Woodson was 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs. Stinnett and Sligh also had two hits and Stinnett drove in two runs and scored two runs.
“We swung it really well early,” Padgett said.
Appomattox would take advantage of nine Amherst errors to score five unearned runs over the next four innings. The Raiders got their first run in the fourth, added two runs in the fifth and four runs in the sixth. Drew Coleman led the way for Raiders with a pair of RBI-singles.
“We got kind of lackadaisical and they got back in it,” said Padgett. “We helped them climb back in it.”
Dakota Stinnett (1-0) earned the win for Amherst. The Lancers’ starting pitcher lasted 4 2/3 innings, surrendering just three unearned runs. He struck out seven batters, walked three and gave up two hits. Brett Ashwell worked a scoreless seventh to secure the victory.
“It was nice to get out there,” Padgett said. “The important thing was picked up the ‘W.”‘
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