By Lonnie Turner
The Physicians Healthcare Yankees played the Dillon Internal Medicine Hurricanes in the only two games at the Kiwanis facility last week and went from two games behind the Canes to tie, but the Canes are still ahead by a mere 35 percentage points.
In a single game on Friday, the Yankees scored 12 runs in the top of the first inning, sending 18 batters to the plate. The Hurricanes inserted Nigel George on the mound and for the remainder of the 4-inning game he allowed five runs while Yankee starter and winner Andrew Bryant allowed only one run in the first, another in the third and George hit a solo homer in the 4th. The game was called by the 10-run mercy rule, 13-3.
In the big first, after the first batter grounded back to the pitcher, the Yanks Mason Miller doubled and scored when Bryant followed with a single. Avery Hewitt was safe at first on an error and Kyle followed with a single Emory Ellis worked the pitcher for a walk to load the bases and Jeremy Byrd slapped a triple down the first base line to drive in two more runs. Hayden then powered a drive over the left field fence for two more rbis and a single by Keith Drake chased starting pitcher Holden Matthews from the mound in favor of George. After walking the first batter he faced, Eli Henderson and Miller singled to get three more runs across the plate Bryant and Hewitt were hit by pitches and Kyle Rowell’s grounder to second scored the final run of the inning. Bryant was the winning pitcher.
In a single game on Wednesday, the Yankees edged the Hurricanes, 4-1, behind the two-hit pitching of Dylan Windham. The Canes took the lead in the first when Nigel George reached base on an error, stole second and third and then went home on a throwing error. The Yankees came back with three runs with Avery Hewitt and Eli Henderson delivering the big hits. Hewitt doubled to score Kyle Rowell, who had singled a batter earlier. Henderson’s single to center drive in two to make it a 3-1 game. In the bottom of the third, Mason Miller walked and scored when Hayden Lane reached on an error. Windham walked the lead off Hurricane in the top of the fifth and struck out the side as the 80-minute time limit expired prior to The Yankees taking the field in the bottom of the inning.
Weather permitting, a full slate is on tap for this week as we enter the eighth week of competition!
