Eastern Hancock’s Colton Dishman delivers a pitch during their game against Muncie Burris on Tuesday, April 12, 2022. (Tom Russo/Daily Reporter)
CHARLOTTESVILLE — Muncie Burris wasn’t the opponent the Eastern Hancock baseball team expected to face Tuesday, but it was the result they hoped to see.
After dropping their past two games, the Royals got back on track with a 13-3 run-rule victory against Muncie Burris to even up their season record 2-2 and improve to 2-1 at home.
The Royals were scheduled to play Mid-Eastern Conference foe Randolph Southern, but due to a shorthanded roster, the Rebels had to postpone. The MEC game has been rescheduled for April 29.
Fortunately, the visiting Owls were game to fill in, and the Royals were ready. Eastern Hancock posted 11 hits, scored at least two runs every inning and had 15 different players reach base.
Sophomore Brayden Sullivan earned the win, pitching three, two-hit innings with six strikeouts and two walks, while driving in a trio of runs to help his own cause.
“There was a lot of stress because I didn’t want to go on a three-game losing streak,” Sullivan said. “I wanted to come out and play. It feels good to be 2-2.”
The right-hander retired the first four batters he faced — two by strikeout — and closed both the top of the second and third innings with back-to-back punch outs.
Sullivan is now 2-0 on the season with 12 strikeouts in six innings pitched.
“If we get him to throw strikes, he’s going to be tough. He’s going to be really, really tough,” Eastern Hancock head coach Chad Coughenour said. “If he starts attacking, he’ll be OK.”
While Sullivan went on the offensive from the mound, the Royals bats poured it on from their first at-bat.
Newcomer Zach Arnold, who started in center field and hit leadoff, kicked off a four-run bottom of the first with a single up the middle in his varsity debut.
A sacrifice fly by Brandon Ridgway scored the first run, followed by a two-out, RBI-strikeout from CJ Titara and a two-run double by Sullivan.
Arnold finished 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs scored. Ridgway went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Nash Hensley, the three-hole hitter, was 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, and Sullivan was 1-for-3.
The Royals top-three hitters in the lineup combined to go 6-for-9, plated three runs and scored four.
“First time Zach has played high school baseball. He’s played a lot of summers and things, but we’re allowing kids to do two sports here at the school, and he’s running track and doing this, so it helps us,” Coughenour said. “We love Zach. He’s a good kid. He’s a good young man and having him at the top of the order helps.”
Eastern Hancock led 6-0 after two innings before the Owls (0-2) scratched a runner across the plate with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Ethan Doerner in the top of the third.
The Royals made up the run in the bottom half with an RBI ground out from Colton Dishman (1-for-2, double) and an RBI single by Ridgway.
Sullivan brought Titara home in the bottom of the fourth, taking advantage of one of the Owls’ three errors — two on third strikes — to increase the lead 10-1.
“I haven’t been hitting the best, so it was kind of a relief to get it going,” Sullivan said.
The Royals plated three more runs in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded. The RBI went to Wyatt Arnold, Dylan Bowman and Dishman (two RBI, two walks). Dishman’s bases-loaded walk ended the game.
“They’re getting better. The kids’ energy has been great,” Coughenour said. “We talked at the beginning of the year that we’re looking for consistency. We’re looking for them to get to a spot where they can be consistent in what they’re doing.”
Dishman pitched in relief, throwing two frames with one hit surrendered, two strikeouts and one earned run charged.
The Royals opened the season 1-0 with a 4-3 win over Cambridge City Lincoln at home. They lost their next two games against Waldron, 11-3, on the road this past Thursday and at home, 10-5, against Tri on Friday.
“I’m glad Muncie Burris came down. They had the day off and came down to play. Just being able to work on certain things and get everybody in the game was a good thing,” Coughenour said. “It was good for the whole team.”
The Royals are scheduled to host MEC foe Shenandoah this Thursday and travel to rival Knightstown for a doubleheader on Saturday.
“We looked at the week, and we were like OK, we play Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Monday, so when are we going to get to play? The field held up really well from last night’s rain, so we’re hoping with not having tomorrow scheduled with more rain on the way, we’ll be OK with conference on Thursday and Knightstown on Saturday,” Coughenour said. “We’re just hoping to get some more ball games in. We’re just happy being on the field right now.”
Eastern Hancock 13, Muncie Burris 3
Muncie Burris (0-2);001;02x; —;3;3;3
Eastern Hancock (2-2);422;23x; —;13;11;2
2B: Brayden Sullivan, Colton Dishman.
WP: Brayden Sullivan (3.0 IP, 6 K, 2 BB). LP: Kipper Pearce.
