MOULTON - Area play brings out the best in Houston Kitterman.
Russellville’s senior third baseman blasted a pair of home runs on Tuesday at R.C. Beckett Field at H.A. Alexander Park, leading a 12-hit attack that carried the Golden Tigers to a 15-0 rout of Lawrence County in the Class 5A, Area 16 opener for both teams.
Tom Barkley Scott also homered and doubled twice for Russellville (9-4, 1-0), and senior righthander Landon Ezzell continued his nearly flawless work on the mound with three scoreless innings. Rudy Fernandez extended his hitting streak to eight games and had two RBIs, and Devin Buckhalter added two hits and three runs scored.
Then there’s Kitterman, who now has four career home runs at the varsity level, all in area play—two last April in a series sweep of East Limestone (including a walk-off shot in Game 2 that clinched the Golden Tigers’ third straight area title) and then two more on Tuesday in Moulton.
The Red Devils (11-2, 0-1) had pitched extremely well during their red-hot start to the season, holding seven of their first 12 opponents to two runs or less. Russellville got that many on one swing in the top of the first when Kitterman followed a two-out walk to Ezzell with a high drive over the left-field fence for a two-run blast off Lawrence County starter Braxton Terry.
The Red Devils threatened to get those runs back in the bottom of the first, getting a pair of singles off Ezzell and loading the bases with two outs. Ezzell (4-0), who had not allowed an earned run all season in 16 innings entering the game, retired Ty Hutto on a fly to left to end the threat and keep it a 2-0 game.
It didn’t stay that way for long. Buckhalter, a junior outfielder, walked to lead off the top of the second and stole a base. Terry retired Caden Parker and Jeff Lloyd on fly balls to center, but Buckhalter scored when leadoff man Noah Gist reached on an error (the first of six on the day by Lawrence County) with two outs.
Fernandez, batting a team-best .421 on the year coming in, followed with an RBI single to center to keep his hit streak going and make it 4-0. Ezzell reached on a two-base error, but Terry got Kitterman on strikes to avoid further damage.
Ezzell needed just six pitches to set the Red Devils down in order in the bottom of the second, and then Russellville broke the game wide open with five runs in the top of the third. Brock Malone drew a leadoff walk and moved to third on Scott’s double to left. Buckhalter struck out swinging at a pitch that got away from catcher Dalton Hill, whose throw to first was too late to get the speedy Buckhalter. First baseman Braden Clement fired back to the plate, but not in time to prevent Malone from scoring from third to make it 5-0.
With runners at the corners, Buckhalter stole his second base of the day (and team-leading seventh of the season). Parker then delivered a two-run single through the hole on the right side to make it 7-0. Lloyd and Gist followed with two more singles to load the bases, and then Parker scored on a grounder to short by Fernandez. The Red Devils got the first out of the inning on the play, but second baseman Chip Proctor’s relay throw to first got by Clement, allowing Lloyd to score as well and make it 9-0.
Ezzell pitched around a two-out error in the bottom of the third, and Russellville tacked on three more runs in the top of the fourth. Malone’s shallow pop to center fell in for a hit, and Scott followed with another double down the left-field line. Buckhalter smacked an RBI single through the hole between third and short to bring home Malone, and Scott scored when the ball got by the left-fielder for an error. Two outs later, Gist drew a walk, and Buckhalter scored when Hill threw wildly to first in an attempt to pick off Gist.
Senior Jaret Ward relieved Ezzell to start the bottom of the fourth and worked around a single and a hit batter with the help of a double-play groundball. The Golden Tigers then capped their big day at the plate with two more home runs in the top of the fifth—a solo shot to center by Kitterman and a two-run blast to left by Scott that made it 15-0.
Ward finished things off with a one-two-three bottom of the fifth, with Buckhalter making a diving catch in right on a liner by Chip Proctor for the final out.
Ezzell gave up two hits in his three innings, striking out three batters and hitting one. He has not allowed an earned run this season in 19 innings, giving up just six hits and striking out 20.
Kitterman finished 2-for-4 with two homers and three RBIs. Scott was 3-for-4 with eight total bases, two RBIs and three runs scored. Buckhalter went 2-for-3 with an RBI, two stolen bases and three runs scored. Gist, Fernandez, Malone, Parker and Lloyd had one hit apiece.
The series will wrap up on Thursday at Russellville Baseball Stadium with a doubleheader beginning at 4:30 p.m. Lawrence County will hope for better results with top pitchers Cole Turner (3-1 with a 0.61 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 23.1 innings) and Ty Hutto (2-0 with a 1.40 ERA and 20 strikeouts in 15 innings) in line to take the mound.
