Wells belts two bombs in Gators’ runaway victory|[02/28/07]
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Ole Miss coach Mike Bianco will be glad to know he’s getting a potential power hitter in Tyler Wells.
The Vicksburg senior had his second straight two home run game as the Gators belted visiting Greenville-Weston 22-1 Tuesday night in the Division 3-5A opener at Bazinsky Field.
Wells’ three-run bomb in the first inning was followed by a solo home run by Stanton Price. He then had a two-run shot in the third inning to go with two singles. It was Wells’ second two-homer game in a row. He had a pair of homers in Saturday’s 17-7 win over Meridian at Brandon in the Mid-Mississippi Classic.
“That’s four in two games,” said an excited VHS coach Jamie Creel. “The first home run he had against Meridian was like the second one tonight. Just a bomb. But the back-to-back jacks in the first inning with him and Stanton really set the tone for us.”
Both of Wells’ homers were high fly balls that sailed easily out of left-center field.
“For some reason, I hit them high,” said Wells who signed with Bianco’s Rebels in November. He’ll join two other former Gators in Justin and Jordan Henry in Oxford next fall.
“I’m not undercutting. It’s an even swing. It’s just with the trajectory of my bat, the ball just goes. A lot of my home runs, there’s just no doubt about them,” Wells said.
“I’ve been seeing the ball well,” added Wells, who finished with seven RBIs.
Price drove in four, including two off a two-run double later in a 12-run Gator first inning. He then had an RBI grounder in the fourth that made it 22-1.
The Gators (4-3, 1-0 Division 3-5A) batted around twice in their first at-bat. They scored 10 runs off Greenville-Weston starter Kardell Lovett, who got just one of 11 batters out and that came on a force at home plate.
After Greenville, which came into the game with a 4-0 record, scored a run in the first inning, Price retired the next 11 Hornets before a two-out, fourth inning infield single by Jadarian Jackson broke up the streak.
Price finished with 10 strikeouts and walked none in the five-inning decision.
Judd Mims reached base four times and scored four runs while Eric Coleman also scored four runs to go with two hits.
“This is two games in a row where we’ve scored a bunch of runs after a disappointing loss to Southeast Lauderdale,” Creel said.
St. Al 22, Bogue Chitto 6
St. Aloysius scored 19 runs over the first three innings to claim a Division 7-1A victory on Tuesday.
Pierson Waring won his first game of the season, hit a double and had two hits to pace the Flashes’ 14-hit attack. Bogue Chitto committed seven errors to help St. Al’s cause.
Ryno Martin-Nez hit a home run, while Jordan Muirhead, Stephen Evans and Justin Rushing each hit a double in the victory.
The Flashes (4-1) are scheduled to host Enterprise-Lincoln on Friday at 6.