Brandon Swingle fields a slow roller and throws out an East Mont runner.
The Craig County baseball team won a good ol’ fashioned “Pitchers’ Duel” when they defeated Eastern Montgomery in New Castle last Thursday. The Rockets scored the only run of the game in the fifth inning for a 1-0 victory.
Dakota Henderson scores the only run in Craig’s 1-0 win last week in New Castle.
“It was nice to see us play well in a tight game,” said Rocket coach Brady Price. “We played good defense and got some very good pitching.”
Freshman Dakota Henderson picked up the win on the mound for the Rockets, going five strong innings. He allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out six, including one big strike out for the third out with the bases loaded.
Craig County rightfielder Hunter Jones comes up throwing to keep a runner from scoring on a single
Jake Robertson came on in the sixth and pitched the final two innings for the save. He gave up no hits while striking out one.
Just as important, Craig played some solid defense in the field. Secondbaseman Brandon Swingle made several sparkling plays on tough ground balls and Hunter Jones, in right, hustled in on a single to keep a Mustang runner from scoring from second on the play.
Rocket catcher Kyle Sloss tags out a runner at the plate attempting to score on a wild pitch.
Perhaps the best play of the day came in the top of the sixth by catcher Kyle Sloss. Nursing a one run lead with a runner on third, Robertson uncorked a wild pitch. Sloss retrieved the ball off the padding on the press box and beat the runner from third back to the plate, tagging him out at home before the tying run could score.
Craig’s only run came in the bottom of the fifth when Henderson singled and stole second. He then scored on a two out single by Dalton McPherson for what proved to be the winning run. Craig had six hits in the game and McPherson had two of them.
With the win the Rockets improved to 2-5 on the season. It was a good bounce-back victory after losing to Parry McCluer early in the week, 14-3. The Blues scored 10 runs in the first inning and got a five inning no-hitter from their pitcher, Zach Claytor.
The Rockets were rained out of a Monday game at Narrows, and that will be made up on May 18. The Rockets will be at Bath County for a doubleheader on Friday, with two five inning games scheduled.
