Trojans look to exterminate Hornets

Published 12:00 am Thursday, April 29, 2010

For the first time in more than three weeks, the Charles Henderson baseball team will find itself away from the friendly confines of Frazier Field today.

The Trojans will be hitting the road and headed north to Opelika, where it will meet the Beauregard Hornets in the quarterfinals if the AHSAA state playoffs.

This will be the second time the two teams have met this season, with the first coming back on April 10 when the Trojans outlasted the Hornets 2-1 at Riddle-Pace Field.

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Even though the Trojans were able to get a win last time against the Hornets, the team committed four errors, one that led to Beauregard’s only run of the game.

“We got to be more stable this time around,” Nathan Barron said Thursday afternoon.

“(The last time we played) it was a very close game, but we had a lot of errors and didn’t play that well. We can’t do that in the playoffs.”

So far, Barron is the team’s second leading hitter in the post season with a batting average of .467.

He has also hit a home run in four of the last six games.

“We were able to beat them even after a game like that,” Barron said about the earlier win over the Hornets. “But we can’t lean on that going into (this series) – we have to be more consistent,” the senior added.

Unlike the first meeting between the two teams, CHHS will be on the road for the first time during the 2010 playoffs, but that is something that doesn’t have the players too concerned.

“We are just going to go out there and take care of business,” K.D. Edenfield said.

“During the playoffs, you can’t really worry about things like that. We are going to be focused on winning.

“(The key to winning on Friday) will be playing good defense and our pitching,” the centerfielder said. “As long as we take care of that, the will bats will take care of themselves.”

Both teams made to the quarterfinals by taking care of business on the first day.

CHHS swept both Monroe County and Rehobeth in two games, while BHS did the same, taking care of Demopolis in the first and Tallassee last weekend.

In those games, the Trojans have outscored its opponents 29-15, while the Hornets have outscored its opponents 52-10.

“The biggest thing we can do to contain (BHS) is eliminating the freebies, like walks and errors,” head coach Derek Irons said.

“We can give up a double, but what we can’t do is give up a walk, commit and error and then give up a double.”

Like his players, Irons doesn’t believe traveling will effect his team too much.

“(Traveling) is a part of the playoffs,” he said.

“Things may be a little different anytime you travel but I don’t think it will effect us to much.”

Like in the two previous series, senior Mitch McLeod will get the start in the first game for CHHS.

In his previous two starts, McLeod has gone the distance both times and has collected 13 strikeouts while just giving up five runs.

The game is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start today, with the second game beginning 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first.