Pike Liberal Arts School was looking to rebound after a disappointing trip to Edgewood on Monday and it did not take long to get rolling. An eight-run third inning and a strong pitching performance from Lawson Stewart led the Patriots to a convincing 10-0 win over Fort Dale Academy in a mercy rule five inning game.

Stewart was dominant from beginning to end in the game but did get some defensive help as well. The leadoff batter for Fort Dale hit a sharp liner on the game’s first pitch that Taylor Renfroe made a nice sprawling catch on in left field.

The Patriots did not start well in the first two innings. The only batter to reach on a hit was Nick McLaughlin in the first on a single to right. He was stranded at second after stealing the base when Blake Floyd grounded out to second.

PLAS held the visiting Eagles to a lone hit – a Baltimore chop special that the runner beat the throw to first on. The runner was eventually erased trying to steal second on a strong throw from Floyd.

The bottom of the third saw the Patriots cause the vast majority of the damage. After a leadoff infield single by Dustin Newman and an infield error advanced him to second, Chandler Avant drilled a long RBI double to right center, plating Newman with the game’s first run.

Lawson Stewart reached on an error by the pitcher, and with two runners on Nick McLaughlin launched a rocket shot of a three run homer to right center making the score 4-0. Floyd followed with a blast off the ‘blue monster’ in left for a double and later scored on an error to make it 5-0.

With a runner on base Josh Starling crushed a long two run homer over the