Belpre’s Chris Copen worked five innings of three-hit ball with eight walks and nine strikeouts during the Golden Eagles’ 10-2 setback to Southern on Wednesday at Civitan Park. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
BELPRE — Southern pitcher Brandon Laudermilt worked six innings of five-hit ball and allowed two runs and four walks while recording a dozen strikeouts here Wednesday at Civitan Park to help lead the Tornadoes to a season sweep of Belpre following a 10-2 triumph in a Tri-Valley Conference Hocking Division showdown.
SHS skipper Kyle Wickline’s squad, which improved to 8-5 and had previously dealt the Golden Eagles a 7-4 setback, needed just three hits to plate their first five runs against losing pitcher Chris Copen, who worked five innings while allowing three singles with eight base on balls and nine punchouts.
Copen worked around a one-out walk to designated hitter Carson Reuter in the first as he managed to fan the side.
However, the Salem University-bound Laudermilt singled to center on a ball second baseman Chase Maze nearly got to and he moved up a base following Hunter Jarrell’s sacrifice. No. 7 hitter Anthony Whobrey walked and Landon Smith followed with another sac bunt to put runners on second and third. Before David Kempell walked, Laudermilt scored on a passed ball and it was 2-0 when Whobrey crossed on a double-steal with Kempell.
A leadoff base on balls to Reuter in the third resulted in a 3-0 lead for the visitors after he stole second and third and came home on Will Smith’s single to left.
Southern right-hander Brandon Laudermilt (4), who struck out a dozen while allowing five hits during his six innings of works in the Tornadoes’ 10-2 victory Wednesday versus Belpre at Civitan Park, meets with his infield of third baseman Hunter Jarrell (15), shortstop Landon Smith (8), first baseman Will Smith (13) and second baseman Wyatt Smith (14). (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
The Golden Eagles of head coach Nate Watson, who slipped to 3-10, pushed across their only runs in the last of the third.
Center fielder and two-hole hitter Adrik McLaughlin singled back up the box and Copen followed with his second straight free pass. Catcher and cleanup hitter Carson Moore then delivered a run-scoring single to right. AJ Copen reached on a bunt single to load the bases, but Laudermilt got Ryan Owens to pop up to catcher Gryphon Thomas before Chris Copen scored to make it 3-2 on first baseman Kurtis Lemon’s sacrifice fly to right. Eight-hole hitter Blake Binegar had runners on first and second, but grounded out.
From that point on, the Golden Eagles’ only other hits came via a two-out infield single by McLaughlin in the fourth and a leadoff knock to center by Lemon in the sixth. Jarrell walked Chris Copen with one out in the seventh, but finished off the five-hitter by getting Moore and AJ Copen to ground out.
Thomas came through with a two-out, two-run single to center in the fourth that McLaughlin nearly made a diving catch on as Whobrey and Smith both scored after reaching on free passes to make it 5-2.
Belpre relief pitcher Carson Woodford got one out in the sixth before Owens finished off the final 1 2-3 frames, but Southern put up a five-spot.
Belpre center fielder Adrik McLaughlin takes a pitch before hitting a single to center in the third inning of the Golden Eagles’ 10-2 setback to Southern on Wednesday at Civitan Park. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
An outfield error got things going as Kempell reached to start the inning, which was followed by a Zach Thomas bunt single. Gryphon Thomas was plunked on an 0-2 pitch and Smith hit a two-run double to deep left before being replaced by pinch-runner Cooper Diddle. Gryphon Thomas scored to make it 8-2 when Jarrell drew a bases-loaded free pass. Diddle and Laudermilt, who had previously walked, scored on passed balls.
Southern returns to action next Wednesday at Gallia Academy while the Golden Eagles will try and snap a five-game slide with a 5 p.m. affair today at Waterford.
“We’ve faced him just about every time when we square off against these guys and we know what we’re going to get with him. He’s a heck of a pitcher and Southern’s got a great team and they are solid every time,” admitted coach Watson, who got a diving web gem on the edge of the infield by shortstop AJ Copen to rob Reuter of a hit in the seventh. “They were more solid than we were tonight.
“A couple timely errors, a few passed balls and this is a whole different ball game. We played better than a 10-2 game, but we can’t take anything away from Southern at all. That’s a great ballclub. They were just better than we were tonight. Waterford’s been playing some great baseball lately. The first game was rained out and rescheduled for May 13. We know it’s going to be a dog fight when we go out there. The guys just have to be ready for it.”
Contact Jay Bennett at [email protected]
Belpre leadoff hitter Haiden Tabler hits a shot that went just wide of the first-base bag during the Golden Eagles’ 10-2 setback to Southern on Wednesday at Civitan Park. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
Belpre first baseman Kurtis Lemon makes a grab on a throw to first from pitcher Chris Copen during the Golden Eagles’ 10-2 setback to Southern on Wednesday at Civitan Park. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
Belpre’s Chris Copen races home from third after a Kurtis Lemon sacrifice fly to right during the Golden Eagles’ 10-2 setback to Southern on Wednesday at Civitan Park. (Photo by Jay W. Bennett)
