Published: July 02, 2008 01:51 am            

DISTRICT V: Smith’s grand slam leads HYR past Creek in 9-10

CHARLESTOWN — Chase Smith’s opposite-field grand slam led to an eight-run fourth inning, an inning that keyed Highlander Youth Recreation’s 10-7 win over Silver Creek in the District V 9-10 All-Star tournament on Tuesday.

Earlier in the fourth, HYR had drawn even with Silver Creek with three runs. Kyle Peters opened the inning with a single and went to second on an error.

Peters’ single was the first of four straight hits for HYR. Jared Harvey doubled to score Peters, but over-ran second base and was picked off. Levi Jecker and Evan Cambron singled, then Jedidiah Fritzinger doubled to plate Jecker. With one out, Sam Yothers drew a walk. After another out, leadoff hitter Seth Cordial was hit by a pitch, scoring Cambron.

That’s when Smith’s grand slam gave HYR the lead for good.

The home run left HYR coach Rocky Cambron nearly speechless.

“I can’t even describe it. It gives your team so much momentum,” Cambron said. “It wasn’t enough by itself to win the game for us, but nothing fires up a team better than that. It was just awesome.”

HYR led 9-4 after four innings, but had to hold on late in the game.

Silver Creek scored a run in the fifth when Zach Densford walked and scored on a Cameron Stephens single to center field. After HYR scored a key insurance run in the top of the sixth, Silver Creek scored twice in the sixth and was threatening to score more when Cambron made a pitching change.

With two out, he brought in his son, Evan, who got Stephens to ground out to third to end the game.

It was Cambron’s second successful pitching move of the game.

“We were just trying to give them different looks and mix things up a little bit,” Coach Cambron said.

HYR jumped on top 1-0 in the first inning when Harvey walked and scored after two passed balls. Silver Creek then took the 4-1 lead, which was keyed by a two-run scoring single by Logan Murphy.

That’s when Coach Cambron made his first pitching move, bringing Harvey in. Harvey got out of trouble in the second, then didn’t surrender another run until the fifth.

HYR’s win was big for two reasons. First, it was the tournament opener for both teams. Second, Silver Creek had beaten HYR in a tournament in Sellersburg last weekend.

“It’s nice for the kids to come back and beat a team that beat them pretty handily the first time,” Coach Cambron said. “We’ve worked hard in practice and I think it shows. I think all around, we’ve come together as a team.”

The good news for Silver Creek is that — in the very same tournament — it lost its first game and eventually played for the tournament championship. In the pool play format, one loss does not equal elimination.



DISTRICT V NOTEBOOK

11-12 BASEBALL

• HYR and Charlestown each picked up their first wins of the tournament.

HYR opened play at Dutch Reich Field with a 14-1 win over Clarksville. Nate Manias was the offensive hero for HYR. He hit a two-run home run, a double and walked twice. He had three RBIs and scored three times.

Mike Springer also scored three times. He had a triple, a single and a walk. Seven different players scored for HYR.

In the second game, John Crawford pitched a complete-game five-hitter, striking out eight in Charlestown’s 14-3 five-inning victory over Silver Creek. Crawford surrendered three hits in Silver Creek’s three-run first, then blanked Silver Creek for the remainder of the game.

Crawford also had two hits, including a double, and scored twice at the plate. Darren Taylor hit a three-run homer in Charlestown’s five-run first. He went 1-for-1, walked twice and scored three runs. Teammate Daniel Sprinkle walked and scored twice.



13-14 BASEBALL

• Silver Creek broke a 2-2 tie in the second inning with three runs and never looked back, putting the game away with eight runs in the top of the sixth of a 14-4 victory over Clarksville.

Jake Snyder picked up the victory for Silver Creek. He pitched five innings, giving up just two hits and striking out eight. Clarksville’s only extra-base hit was a double by Brandon Laster in the fifth.

Lucas McIntyre went 3-for-5 with three singles and three runs scored for Silver Creek. Andrew Hunt was 2-for-3 and reached base four times.

The contest was the first for both teams in the 13-14 pool play.



11-12 SOFTBALL

• HYR held off a charging Silver Creek in the bottom of the sixth and pulled out a 10-6 victory at Hazel Howard Field.

HYR led 10-1 after five innings thanks to solid hitting and the pitching of Cassie Spalding. Spalding picked up the complete-game victory and struck out seven Silver Creek batters.

Ruthanna Fritzinger and Katelin Dreher led the way offensively for HYR. Fritzinger had four hits, including a triple in HYR’s two-run sixth. She had an RBI and scored three times. Dreher went 4-for-4 with a triple in a three-run third. She had two RBIs and scored twice.

• Jeff/GRC earned its first victory in the tourney with a 13-3 win over Charlestown.

Jeff benefitted from 10 walks and an error to score 11 times in the first inning.

Despite only having three hits in the game, four different Jeff players — Chelsie Marshall, Elizabeth Talbott, Asia Thomas and Shelby Rose — each scored twice. Teammate Courtney Shepherd had a single and walked twice, and Bryanna Rake’s double was Jeff’s only extra-base hit of the game.

        

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