Shortstop Kory Britton went yard to open the fourth for his first home run of the season.
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by Jim Bach

The first time the Raiders played the Lightning, it came down to the wire in the seventh inning before Atholton brought in three runs and broke the deadlock in the final inning.

This time around, the Raider's Jamie Williams pitched a complete game shutout with the help of 12 hits for a 9-0 win over Long Reach.

With the score at 0-0 in the bottom of the second, first baseman Chris Acker got Atholton's first hit, while outfielder Corey Stirmer followed when he beat out a bunt for a single. Pitcher Williams then got his first hit of the season on a seeing-eye dribbler that found its way up the middle and brought in two runs with two outs. The score was 2-0 at the end of the second.

In the third the Raider's offense kept their momentum going. Centerfielder Wes Hand drew a walk, stole second, then came home on a wild pitch for the third run. After a single by catcher Paul Beers, Stirmer hit a triple and collected RBI number 15 on the season. Outfielder Jake Yasenka and second baseman Jared Hand each batted in runs before the inning came to a close, putting the game at 6-0 in the third.

Atholton was running away with the game, and shortstop Kory Britton delivered another blow to the Lightning defense went he sent a ball to the parking lot for his first homer of the season. Beers came a few feet from going yard following Britton's dinger, but had to settle for a double as it bounced off the fence in left center.

Acker then came up and plated courtesy runner Nick Donohue with a double, and Stirmer then brought Acker back around on a groundout to make the game 9-0 at the end of the fourth inning.

Lightning's sophomore Kevin Reggie came in to relieve starter Chase Miller in the fourth, and shut out the Raider offense for the final innings to keep the game from a mercy rule. With the loss, Long Reach falls to 4-12, collecting only three hits on the day from the bats of centerfielder Anthony Lyon, third baseman Shawn Hendon, and pitcher Miller, who each had one in the contest.

"We didn't hit like we normally do, usually we hit a lot better than this" said Long Reach head coach Chuck Spalding. "Atholton's a much better team and they showed it today."

Junior Jamie Williams pitched his second complete game of the year and his first shutout, striking out six and collecting the win.

"He threw a lot of first pitch strikes, and got ahead of the batters today," said Atholton Coach Kevin Kelly. "When you do that you get the batters on their heels and he really did that today."

There was no shortage of offense for the Raiders during the match-up. Senior Corey Stirmer went 2-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs in his last home game of the regular season, while Williams helped his cause on the mound with two runs batted in. Acker and Beers stood at the forefront of the hitting attack, both going 3-for-4 with doubles.

"We hit selectively and it was a great game all-around. Jamie [Williams] pitched a great game," said hard-hitting catcher Paul Beers.

Atholton will play the Wilde Lake Wilde Cats Monday, and will need to step it up on the mound against a team that has three hitters above the .450 mark. The Long Reach Lightning will look to salvage a 4-12 season when they match-up against the Reservoir Gators.

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