Varsity Baseball: West Springfield 10, South County 0

By Greg Young
Annandale High School Student, DigitalSports Intern

If there was one moment that best represented West Springfield's 10-0 win over visiting South County on Tuesday, it came in the fourth inning. With West Springfield already holding a 6-0 lead and runners on the corners, the Spartans decided to take a gamble, letting their runner at first, senior Tim Baldwin, get intentionally caught in a run-down.

Like almost everything else the Spartans did that night against the Stallions, the play worked brilliantly. Baldwin was able to delay getting tagged out until the runner that had been on third base, senior Jeff Haeuptle, had already scored.

"Getting that run was really critical," West Springfield Coach John James said.

Offensively, the Spartans were dominant throughout the game, held without a run in only two innings while otherwise averaging 2 4-runs each at-bat. In the third inning, West Springfield got back-to-back RBI doubles from junior Bryn Renner and sophomore Charlie Morgan and a two-run home run from junior Tucker Tobin. All of their RBIs in the third came with two outs.

"I figured that he'd try to come at me with the second pitch," Tobin said. "The pitch was low and in, and I was able to square on it.

"We finally busted out as an offense tonight. Everyone hit the ball well."

In addition to the offense, the Spartans was also led by a one-hit effort from junior pitcher Mike Kent. Kent shined against the Stallions, recording 10 strike outs with no walks. South County's lone hit was a harmless single from Brent Frazier in the fourth.

"I hit my spots well and my pitching coach put everything together today," Kent said. "I usually have a lot of movement, but tonight I really threw great pitches."
   
For the Spartans, the win propelled them into second place in the Patriot District standings. If the Spartans defeat Annandale on Friday they will clinch the second seed in the upcoming district tournament, earning them a critical first-round bye and an automatic berth in the upcoming Regional tournament. West Springfield defeated Annandale, 5-0, earlier in this season.

"It was a game we had to have," James said. "It was a big game in terms of seeding, but we still have business we need to take care of against Annandale."

The loss, meanwhile, drops South County to 11-7 overall (9-4 in the Patriot District) and into third place in the league standings. The Stallions can still tie the Spartans for second place if they defeat Hayfield on Friday and the Spartans fall to the Atoms.

For the West Springfield, the 10-0 win on their Senior Night was a great send-off for their five seniors.

"It worked out well," James said. "A lot of the team knows the players on South County, so it was a nice way for them to go out."

South County       000 000 0 -- 0
West Springfield   014 104 X -- 10