By Allen Hamrick
Bats were firing up as the CCMS Mustang baseball team went head to head with four teams of their own this past week. They hit the road for their first game against George Washington, a well coached team equal in talent with the Mustangs. It was a nail biter until the very end that would give the Mustangs their first loss of the season.
It was a pitching duel as ace pitchers Pierce Adkins and Joel Elliot would take the mound for the Mustangs. George Washington also had some pitchers who could bring the heat. GW was on the board first scoring a tough run in the bottom of the second. The Mustangs got in a run; after walking Pierce Adkins, the bats lit up for the Mustangs and were able to cross Pierce over home. After that, home plate grew cobwebs, and the game stayed tied until the bottom of the 8th inning when GW was able to get another run to win the game. The loss was bitter in the mouths of the Mustangs, and the next game would prove it.
Calhoun County was up and it wouldn’t be pretty for the traveling team. Bases became dance floors, and home plate was crossed like busy railroad tracks. The Mustangs sent right hander Cooper Collins to the hill to chill the bats of Calhoun. He was smoking the fast balls, and his dirty stuff had more English than the dictionary. It didn’t take long for the Mustangs to get runs. Pierce Adkins went 3-4 at the plate with three RBI’s and scored two runs. By the time it was over, the Mustangs short gamed Calhoun 12-1. Then South Harrison came to town with a heavy hitting team. It would prove to be another nail biter as the Mustang bats were iced by the South Harrison pitching. Pierce Adkins once again was the only big hitter going 3-3 at the plate and scoring the only run when Joel Elliot got a hit driving him in.
Unfortunately, the Mustangs took their second defeat of the season losing the game 1-5. It was a tough game with a tough team, but there’s still plenty of season left. Next, it was the game of retribution as GW came to Mustang territory for another shot at the Mustangs. Just two days earlier, GW beat the Mustangs 2-1, but not on this day. The Mustangs were fine tuned like a high priced fiddle. The Mustangs started racking up the points early scoring four runs in the first three innings. However, GW came back in the top of the 4th, swung for the fences and scored eight total runs. The Mustangs, down four runs, came back with a vengeance, sent nine more runs across the plate and went back on top by the score of 13-8. That was it for GW as the Mustang pitching shut them down hard.
When it was over, the Mustangs reclaimed their pride by winning 18-8. Pierce Adkins was proving once again that practice pays off. He was 4-5 at the plate scoring two runs and six RBI’s on four hits. Lathan Brown also had a big game going 4-5 at the plate scoring three runs and knocking in three RBI’s.
The Mustangs will be back in action on Monday as they are on the road in Braxton County and will have a rematch on the road against the South Harrison Hawks on Thursday. Go Mustangs!