Saints take season opener over Gators

By Brandon Davis
Published in Sports on March 2, 2016 1:48 PM

• Print
• Email

DUDLEY -- A ball hit over the fence gives a team the chance of winning a game.

So does a ball hit five feet from home plate.

Southern Wayne senior Aryc Chrisman brought in two runs off an infield hit that pushed the Saints to a 6-2 win over Spring Creek in both teams' season opener on Tuesday evening.

"It was a curve ball, and I was pretty up on it. I capped it," Chrisman said. "I saw the ball go over my head in a few seconds, and I was just happy to get two RBIs.

"I like hitting the ball way out there, too. If you get a good beef on it, it'll fly, but if you don't -- hey, that's how baseball rolls."

Spring Creek took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning. Senior Will Rouse hit a line drive to Southern Wayne pitcher Jack Casbarro, which scored Hunter Walker. Rouse stole second and scored on Kaden Geelen's hit to center field.

Chrisman took the mound after the Saints grabbed a 3-2 lead.

He recorded two strikeouts and threw a runner out at first base. He added two more strikeouts in the fifth inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, SC left fielder Sawyer Smith stretched out to catch a ball hit by Chrisman. He threw it to his first baseman, who tagged out Noah Horton to complete the double play.

The Gators couldn't stop the Saints in the sixth.

Junior Derek Holsinger slammed the ball to right field and brought in senior Hunter Barwick and sophomore Lance Wise. Horton hit a line drive to third base. The ball rolled past the infielder, and Holsinger ran home.

"We had some terrible, terrible at-bats early on," SW head coach Jackson Massey said. "Then we hit a ground ball five feet, and it scores a run, and he (Chrisman) gets on second base because of it.

"That's something we try to stress every day. We don't want to live in the air. We're trying to put pressure on the defense, and make them (opponents) make the plays. Once we started doing that, we started scoring runs."

Chrisman pitched four innings. Horton was 3-for-3 at the plate and had one RBI. Casbarro was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Geelen had two hits and an RBI for the Gators.

"We got a little sloppy there in the middle innings, but we started out pretty well," SC head coach Doyle Whitfield said. "We just got a little sloppy and let some guys get on base. We threw the ball real well the first couple of innings, but did some sloppy things that cost us a few runs.

"Tip your hat to them (Saints). They made some good swings on some balls that put them in the scoring position."

The Gators (0-1 overall) play host to Greene Central today, while the Saints (1-0) play host to South Lenoir on Friday.