11-1 in only five innings

By STEVEN G. WATSON

Sports Editor

Charles Henderson teams are getting used to beating up on the Northview Cougars as the Trojan baseball team followed the softball team’s lead Thursday in an 11-1 romp of NHS.

The Trojans (10-3) put the game out of reach in the first two innings scoring 10 runs and sending 19 batters to the plate. Those 19 batters connected for eight hits in the first inning doing what CHHS head coach Steve Garrett felt his batters were doing at Dothan, they just didn’t get the breaks there that they did last night in "Hogan’s Hole" at Frazier Field.

"We did the same thing in Dothan against them the other night, but for four innings that night we just kept hitting it right at folks," Garrett said. "We kept putting the ball into play and sooner or later they are going to drop if you keep putting pressure on the defense."

With both Will Jones and Hunter Mathews on base, CHHS slugger Jonathan Neeley began the feast on the Northview starter with a double that dropped in just fair down the right-field line scoring one. Chris Boswell then got a sacrifice fly to score Mathews in a play at the plate to put the Trojans up 2-0.

An error at third allowed the CHHS to go up 3-0 and then the bottom dropped out in the second.

After a lead-off single by Kevin Stephens facing an 0-2 count, Jones and B.J. Gralheer followed him with a double and a single respectively, both scoring runs. Then, Neeley showed his power again on a towering shot over the left center field fence to make it 7-0.

The Trojans would get their final three runs of the inning on four Northview errors and a single by Jarod Kelly.

Even with the offensive explosion early on, Garrett wasn’t happy about the one run by the Cougars that avoided the shutout by Charles Henderson.

"They did a great job offensively, but defensively I’m not happy about them scoring a run," the coach said. "When my pitcher has a 10-run lead you have to buckle down and make every hitter earn a base. We can’t play defense lackadaisically against great teams. I’m happy we won 11-1, but you can’t be satisfied with some of the little things."

The Trojans ended the game on a throw down to second on an attempted steal in the top of the fifth by catcher Jason Barron. Stephens was able to grab a high throw just above the runner and tag him out to end things early in accordance to the 10-run rule.

Neeley pitched the complete-game win for the Trojans as he gave up only one hit in the five innings of work.

Neeley also led the way at the plate going 2-for-3 with the homer, the double and three RBI’s.

Next up for the Trojans is a matchup with Wetumpka today at Frazier Field with the first pitch coming at 5 p.m.