CADIZ - A power surge struck Mazeroski Memorial Field Friday when the Harrison Central baseball team hosted Indian Creek. The Redskins rode a three-home run effort to a 12-5 victory over the Huskies.
"We've been seeing the ball well as of late," Indian Creek head coach Mike Cottis grinned. "We've been hitting the ball well and putting it in play. Today we got it up into the jetstream, and they became big hits. We also got a couple big hits with two outs. I can't say enough about our play.
"Any coach will tell you that it's all about how you are playing at the end. We still have a lot of work to do. I like that we've gotten better every day. It was tough early in the season with all the miscues. Now we're fielding the ball and hitting to help our pitchers out. Things are looking a lot better now."
With the win, the Redskins are 5-1 in their last six contests.
Indian Creek jumped on Harrison Central in the initial inning, but it was a Huskies' mental error which allowed the frame to continue. The Redskins had runners at first and second base. Anthony Davis then hit a lazy popup just outside the first baseline. The ball fell to the ground between two Huskies, and Davis was still alive at the plate. The left handed Davis ripped the next pitch into right field, and Indian Creek scored two runs.
An error by Harrison Central's pitcher allowed a third run to score before the Huskies even came to the plate.
"We had multiple errors in the first inning, and they scored three runs," Harrison Central head coach Justin Clifford said. "We just didn't get off to a good start. Then they hit three home runs. I haven't seen a team hit three home runs all year. They hit the ball.
"Today, they were better than us. It's not as much about our losing this game; rather they came here and won it."
The Huskies did respond in the bottom of the first when Rasheen Mitchell hit a triple off the base of the right field wall and Nick Pelegreen, who was on first base courtesy of a walk, chugged around the diamond to score.
Indian Creek added another pair of runs in the second inning. Alex Young matched Mitchell by hitting a ball in nearly the same spot, and he glided safely into third base. Two outs later and Ty Yocom was at the plate. Yocom, Indian Creek's cleanup hitter, belted a laser which barely cleared the right center field fence for the Redskins' first homerun of the afternoon. Indian Creek led 5-1 after two innings.
The Huskies didn't go away. Harrison Central added a pair of runs in the third inning. An error by Indian Creek opened the frame which allowed Kaleb Mitchell to reach base. Mitchell finished 2-for-3 on the day with two singles.
The big hit came from Drew Horn who singled to bring two runs past the plate.
Indian Creek poured it on. The Redskins scored a pair of runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth frame, Jordan Yeater broke out of his slump and slammed a moonshot over the left center field fence. Davis lofted a round tripper down over the right field fence an inning later. Indian Creek led 11-3 by the middle of the sixth.
Harrison Central did add two more runs in the bottom of inning. But, it didn't prove enough as the Huskies couldn't close the gap any further due to the performance of Indian Creek freshman pitcher Cole Yeater. Yeater held firm on the mound and registered a complete game. It's the third complete game in a row for the Redskins.
"That's two in row from Cole in particular," Cottis said. "It's huge. He's already starting to pitch like a sophomore. He kept Harrison Central off balance. He hit his spots. He got in a couple jams, but for a ninth grader to stand in there like a bulldog that's huge."
The teams meet again Monday.
Harrison Central will compete in the Ohio Valley Athletic Association tournament today. The Huskies will face Buckeye 8 rival Edison in the first round of play.
Indian Creek 12, Harrison Central 5
Indian Creek 320 222 1 - 12 12 2
Harrison Central 102 002 0 - 5 10 4
INDIAN CREEK (7-12): C.Yeater (WP, 5K, 4BB) and Orr. Young 3B; 2B: 1B; Boyag 1B; Orr 1B, RBI; Yocom HR, 1B, 2RBI; Williams 1B, RBI; Davis HR, 1B, 3RBI; Rath 2B; Yeater HR, 2RBI.
HARRISON CENTRAL (12-9): Horn (LP, 4K, BB); Graves (3IP, 2K, BB) and Hyndman. Rutter 2-1B, RBI; Horn 2-1B, 2RBI; R.Mitchell 3B, 2-1B, RBI; Rose 1B; K.Mitchell 2-1B.
