Gators demolish Clinton, Greenville|[4/02/06]
Published 12:00 am Monday, April 3, 2006
Rebounding from Friday night’s tough extra-inning Division 3-5A loss to Madison Central, the Vicksburg Gators chomped on a pair of foes at Bazinsky Field on Saturday.
The Gators ripped Clinton 12-2 in five innings in the day’s first game, and then whipped Greenville 14-1 in four innings in game two.
The Greenville victory had the bigger implication since it gives the Gators (13-6, 5-3) a chance at winning the Division 3-5A title. The Gators will square off with Warren Central on Tuesday night. If Vicksburg wins, there would be a three-way tie and the seeding would be decided by run differential.
“We rebounded today after an emotional game last night,” VHS coach Jamie Creel said. “We beat a real good team (Clinton) in the first game. We’ve hit the ball well the last two days.”
No Gator is swinging a hotter bat than junior Tyler Wells, who had a grand slam at Madison and then came back Saturday with three more extra base hits, four RBIs and six runs scored.
“I’m seeing the ball really well and I’ve worked hard in the cage,” said Wells, who blasted a two-run shot to end the Clinton game in the fifth by the 10-run rule. “We had a tough game against Clinton last week, so to beat them like this was good for us.”
Against Clinton (15-4), every Gator batter either got a hit or scored. In the Greenville romp, Ole Miss signee Jordan Henry and Vernon Wolfe led a 14-hit attack.
“Every game, we’ve got to come out hard and that’s what we’re doing,” Wolfe said. He had a three-run homer to left to break open the Greenville game.
Vicksburg scored four runs in each of its first three at bats against Greenville (1-12). Judd Mims had a two-run single to key the first inning.
The Gators followed it up with four more runs in the second on four hits. Wells drove in two off a triple to right field.
Greenville got its only run of the game in the third when Javian McPhreson drew a walk against Henry, the VHS starter, and then scored on Willie Calvin’s groundout.
The lone Hornet hit off Henry came in the fourth on a Travis Johnson double.
Wolfe’s three-run bomb made it 12-1 after three innings. The Gators ended it with a two-run single by Daniel DeRossette.
Henry finished 3-for-3 with four runs scored.
Wolfe drove in four off two hits while Mims had three RBIs. The pitching win moves Henry to 3-0 on the year.
Vicksburg 12, Clinton 2.
The Gators jumped on Clinton ace Matt Quick for seven runs in the first inning.
Tanner Woodson had a two-run single and Gerald Mims followed with an error-aided, inside-the-park home run. Mims was credited with a two-run double, but managed to come home after an error on the Clinton right fielder.
Vicksburg scored single runs in the second, third and fourth to build a 10-2 lead. In the fifth, with two out, Wells ended the game on a two-run shot to left field.
St. Andrew’s 8, St. Al 3.
St. Aloysius (10-7) was held scoreless through the first five innings and its comeback fell short late in the game.
Pierson Waring had a single and a double for the Flashes, who had four hits and committed three errors.
St. Andrew’s led 4-0 before St. Al scored its first run in the sixth inning. The Saints put the game away in the bottom of the sixth with four runs. The Flashes tacked on two in the seventh.
St. Al is scheduled to play Forest Hill at home on Monday at 6 p.m.