"Just a play or two away from a great game"

A quote from Coach Jerry Rouse in the headline tells you a lot about our game at Providence Academy.  Highlights and notes below:

*10 hits tied our season high (we had 10 hits in game two of our DH vs. the Cloudland Highlanders).

*Four extra base hits was a season high (a 2B apiece from Dalton Rouse, Josh Owens, Mitchell Tolley, and a scorched 3B from Elijah Smith). 

*An IF defensive change putting Josh Owens at 3B, and Mitchell Tolley at 2B, was a smooth one at Providence.  Owens has much experience at 3B from his Hampton Elementary career, but concerns about the health of his right elbow in his high school career, kept us from putting J. Owens on the left side of the infield because of the long throw across the diamond.  Obviously playing 2B and 1B is easier on a student athlete's arm.  Mitchell Tolley, as we have been saying in the dugout, "Is making baseball look way too easy."  This is a hard game, the only game where one can fail seven out of 10 times and still be considered a success (.300 batting average).  Tolley has showed an excitement to be on the ball club and back in the game of baseball, and he has proven again and again that he deserves to be in the lineup since his first start at South Greene.  

*Dalton Rouse was back in the field at 1B, which is a good sight, but also gives the coaching staff pause because of concerns about his left shoulder.  In the 6th inning, having freshman, Conor Burleson on the active roster allowed us to place him at 1B, so Rouse could go to the pen for an extended time and not have to return to his first base position (in high school baseball we can re-enter a starter).  "Burly" recorded a putout on a 4-3 from Mitchell Tolley and then proceeded to record his first career base knock, and collect his first two career RBI, before giving way to Rouse, who took the ball for the 7th.  Like we said when Dalton pitched vs. Cloudland, it's obvious he is far from 100%, but it's also obvious how much he means to our ball club watching him spin the baseball toward the plate.  As the season has gone along, Rouse has also hit the ball with authority more consistenly, fitting for a hitter in the middle of the order.  

*Elijah Smith started off the game being hit for (Caleb Oaks was designated hitter), but in his first AB on Thursday, Mr. Smith hit a shot, a rocket to wall in the right-center gap, for his first career extra base hit, and the first triple any Bulldog hitter has hit in 2019.  Elijah Smith is an unselfish young man who does a lot for our program behind the scenes, so it was nice to see him have a big moment on Thursday.  

*We mentioned Josh Owens' start at 3B above, but we also want to mention that a big game, like his 2 RBI 2B yesterday, or if he goes 0-4, Joshua has been our "steady Eddie" in the lineup, taking his walks, giving us consistent at-bat after consistent at-bat all season long.

*We are loyal to Parker Henry in centerfield due to the tremendous season he had out there as a 2018 freshman.  Nolan Parker has admittedly not had the season in CF he would have liked to have had up to this point, so it was nice to see him make a clutch sliding catch on the thick Providence OF grass on Thursday.  

*Like Conor Burleson above, Freshman, Kyler Lewis being on the active roster helped contribute to our win on Thursday.  The lanky freshman served as a courtesy runner (the pitcher and catcher position can have a courtesy runner) on Thursday.  He scored two runs and stole a heads up base, when he read, after several sequences, that the Providence RHP was not paying any attention to him as a R at 2B.  

*It was a total team win, a total team effort.  It was our fifth win in our last eight games, and the fourth week in a row we have won our last game of the week, to send us into the weekend on a high note.  We appreciate all of you supporting our young men.