SAND ROCK – Sand Rock baseball coach Jeff Norris has been around the Wildcat baseball program a long time. He’s coached against several guys who have played Division I and junior college baseball, but no one of an SEC-caliber until Tuesday.
Westbrook Christian senior pitcher and LSU signee Samuel Dutton allowed just two hits and struck out 11 Wildcat batters in six innings of work, leading the Warriors to a 10-0 Class 2A, Area 12 win.
The lone Wildcat hits came in the fourth inning on a single to right by shortstop Cade Ballenger and a single to left from catcher Bradley Jackson.
“We didn’t surrender to him, and that’s what I told our kids. He may no-hit us, but we’re not going to back off of him. We didn’t,” Norris said. “We were keeping a tally of what we did against him. That’s a positive. If we can put it in play, then we can compete.”
Dutton established his dominance early for the Warriors (11-4, 3-1). Six of his strikeouts came in the first three innings. He retired three other Wildcats hitters on ground outs in that span.
Sand Rock (8-2, 3-1) finally got something going against Dutton in the bottom of the fourth. Leadoff batter Olin Pruitt reached base after sending a shot past Dutton that deflected off his hand. Ballenger followed with a hit, but Pruitt was called out attempting to go to third. Dutton dug in to retire the side when second baseman Logan Wood grounded into a double play to end the scoring threat.
Jackson had the only other hit off Dutton an inning later with two outs with his single to left.
Meanwhile, the Warrior offense scored single runs in the top of the first and second, then three more in fourth to take a 5-0 lead on Wildcat starter Ethan Clanton. Clanton finished with four walks and a pair of strikeouts in his four innings of work.
“When he got to where he couldn’t throw his changeup and his off-speed for a strike, they just started setting fastball,” Norris said. “He doesn’t throw it hard enough to get it by that good of hitters. A lot of hitters he can, but they hit the ball too well.”
Austin Yoder relieved Clanton in the fifth and allowed three more Warrior runs in the inning, pushing their lead to 8-0. The Warriors scored the final two runs of the game on a two-run homer to right off the bat of third baseman Will Noles.
Noles went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Warriors. First baseman Brodie Self also had a pair of hits and a walk. Leadoff batter and shortstop Fisher Glasgow added a two-run double in the fourth.
The two teams are scheduled to complete their area series on Thursday, but rain is in the forecast.
