Sports Editor

BRUNDIDGE – Pike American Legion Post 145 improved to 6-2 on the year with a two-game sweep of Ariton at the Brundidge Park Facility on Friday night.

In the first game, pitcher Brandon Walters held the Purple Cats to three hits and Wes Johnson had a home run and six RBIs to lead Post145 to a 15-2 win in five innings.

Liston Conrad and Drew Kilpatrick started things off for Pike, knocking in two runs with basehits in the latter half of the second inning. Johnson pushed the Patriots out to a 5-0 lead, popping a three-run homer over the left field fence.

Ariton responded in the third as Aaron Reeves launched a Walters’ offering into left field also. The ball bounced over the fence, resulting in a ground rule double for the Purple Cats and an RBI for Reeves. Reeve would then come home on a pass ball. Walters was able to get the final two outs at the plate and halt the Purple Cats’ momentum.

Scott Kirby had a single to lead off in the third, Luke Sanders was walked and the trouble started for Ariton starter Brandon Casey. Johnson stepped up to the plate and delivered a long ball into the corner of right field and scored three more runners for Pike with a double.

With Post 145 already up 8-2 at that point, Casey would surrender seven more runs in the bottom of the fourth.

The Purple Cats put two out early, with Kirby scoring Jonah McWaters on a sacrifice fly. Conrad and Kilpatrick both followed with RBI singles, two Ariton errors resulted in two more runs scoring for Post 145 and Wes Grant finished things off with a two RBI single.

Walters sent Ariton down in order in the fifth. He finished with four strike outs.

Pike had 12 hits in the game. Kilpatrick finished with three singles and two RBIs, Conrad had two singles and two RBIs. Grant had two hits with Sanders, Kirby and McWaters also adding singles.

The rematch was a closer contest with the Purple Cats taking the early lead on Kevin Messer’s double RBI into centerfield, scoring Reeves. Messer would come home on error and put Ariton up in the first inning, 2-0.

The Purple Cats scored two more runs off Pike reliever Scott Kirby in the second inning, but Post 145 started a rally. Sanders’ doubled in Brady Dunn and Grant drove in Johnson with a triple.

Garrett Wesley had a sacrifice to send Grant home, recording Pike’s fourth run of the third inning to tie the game up. Kirby kept the Purple Cats off the bases in the next inning and Pike took the lead for good. Sanders and Dale Garrett had singles, Dunn delivered a sacrifice bunt and Johnson hit a high driving double into left field as Post 145 scored three runs to go up 7-4. Ariton failed to answer in the fifth and final inning, giving Pike the victory.

Post 145 was in Andalusia on Saturday for a 3 p.m. doubleheader.