Southwood scored 2 in 7th, eliminates Caston in sectional semis

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Baseball

Southwood 5, Caston 3 (Saturday): Lance Hanna singled and doubled and drove in a run, and Talon Zeider added a hit and an RBI, but the Caston baseball team fell to Southwood in a Class 1A, Sectional 52 semifinal at North White Saturday.

Edison Byrum tripled and scored a run. Caleb Stinson singled and walked and drove in a run, and Gavin Mollenkopf reached three times on a single and two walks.

Zeider pitched six innings and allowed three hits and three runs (none earned). He walked three, hit a batter and struck out five. Hanna took the loss in relief, allowing two hits and two runs (one earned) in one inning. He hit a batter and fanned one.

Jaret Denney had three hits and an RBI at the plate for Southwood. He also pitched 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the win.

Caston had four errors while Southwood had one.

Stinson’s RBI single in the fourth cut the Southwood lead to 3-1. Zeider had an RBI single and Hanna an RBI double in the fifth to tie the game.

Denney’s RBI triple in the seventh gave Southwood the lead, and Micah Smith added an RBI double.

Denney walked Mollenkopf with two outs in the seventh before striking out Pete DuVall to end the game.

Caston finished 13-11.

Southwood eliminated Caston from the sectional for the second straight year.

In Saturday’s second semifinal, North Miami defeated West Central 7-2. North Miami then went on to beat Southwood 4-2 on Monday for the sectional title.

Southwood 5, Caston 3

Southwood 300 000 2 – 5 5 1

Caston 000 120 0 – 3 6 4

WP – Denney (2 ⅔ IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K)

LP – Lance Hanna (1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K)

2B – Smith (SW), Lance Hanna (CAS)

3B – Holloway (SW), Denney (SW), Edison Byrum (CAS)