CHHS freshman pitches Trojans to 5-4 win
Published 12:00 am Sunday, March 5, 2000
Sports Writer
It’s hard to lose when you don’t make mistakes.
The Charles Henderson Trojans proved this to be true by playing error-free baseball to claim a 5-4 victory over Wetumpka in "Hogan’s Hole" at Frazier Field Friday night.
The Trojans rode the arm of freshman Justin "Icky" Sims to take the win and push their record to 11-3 on the year. Things did not go smoothly for the Trojans early, however.
Wetumpka picked up two runs in the first inning to leave the Trojans behind early, but the Trojans would not stay down for long. Jarod Kelly’s three-run shot in the second inning gave the Trojans life and a 3-2 advantage.
Sims shut down the Indians offense for the next three innings to give the Trojans a golden opportunity to add insurance runs. Jason Barron took advantage of the situation with RBI’s in the third and fifth innings to put Charles Henderson up by a 5-2 margin.
The Indians attempted to get back in the game in the sixth with a two run surge, but David Taylor came on in relief to end the threat. Taylor silenced the Indian bats in the seventh as well to nab the save and the win for Sims.
Only a freshman, Sims pitched like a veteran to gain his first varsity win. He threw six innings striking out seven while walking only three.
Coach Steve Garrett was extremely impressed with the freshman’s performance.
"He had great composure," Garrett said. "He had them guessing up there."
The Trojan’s ability to score runs also proved to be a huge factor. Fueling the Trojan scoring machine were Chris Boswell who was 2-for-3, Kelly, 1-for-3 with three RBI’s, and Barren who was 1-for-2 with two RBI’s.