Cole Motes struck out 10 batters in a two-hit shutout for Phil Campbell on Saturday, helping the Bobcats bounce back from a late-inning loss earlier in the day to Central with a 10-0 win over Winston County at the Roger Bedford Sportsplex.
Peyton Thomas cracked a two-run homer, one of six extra-base hits by the Bobcats (10-5). That was more than enough offensive support for Motes (1-0), who needed only 72 pitches to breeze through six innings. The junior right-hander, making his second start of the season, was helped by a couple of double-play groundballs and issued only one walk.
That free pass came in the top of the first inning, but Thomas turned a groundball to short into a double play to help Motes avoid any damage. Catcher Austin Baker led off the bottom of the first with the first of his three hits, and courtesy runner Daniel Smith scored when Ridge Raper reached on an error to put Phil Campbell in front 1-0.
Motes pitched around an error in the top of the second, striking out the side, and he fanned two more hitters in a one-two-three third. Baker doubled with one out in the bottom of the third, and Thomas launched his fourth home run of the season—and the 26th of his varsity career—over the fence in left to make it 3-0.
Winston County got its first hit off Motes in the top of the fourth, but a strikeout and a 4-6-3 double play started by Raper at second quickly ended the inning. The Bobcats broke the game wide open with a six-run bottom of the fourth highlighted by RBI doubles from Motes and Raper and an RBI single by Nate Owens.
Motes struck out the side in the top of the fifth and then worked around a one-out single in the top of the sixth. Phil Campbell ended the game in the bottom of the inning when Raper walked, Thomas singled and Chase Hutchens drove in a run with a groundout to make it 10-0.
Thomas finished 2-for-4, recording his fifth multi-hit game of the season. Baker was 3-for-4 with a double, and senior Brody Nix was 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Hutchens went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run, and Joe Hardy was 1-for-2 with a double and a walk. Raper went 1-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored, and Motes and Owens each had one of Phil Campbell’s 13 hits.
In previous action:
Central 5 Phil Campbell 4
The Bobcats were up 4-2 with one out in the top of the seventh when Jeremy Bevis hit a three-run homer to give the visiting Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish.
Ridge Raper started on the mound for Phil Campbell and pitched well, taking a three-hitter into the seventh. After allowing a single and a double and reaching the 100-pitch mark, Raper gave way to reliever Peyton Thomas. The senior right-hander induced a groundball to third, where Chase Hutchens fielded it and threw home to nail a runner trying to score for the first out of the inning.
Bevis followed with a three-run blast to left to put Central (4-12) on top 5-4, and the Bobcats were unable to answer in the bottom of the inning.
Raper wound up allowing four earned runs on five hits in six-plus innings, striking out seven and walking three. Thomas (1-3) took the loss, allowing one hit and one earned in one inning of relief.
Phil Campbell took advantage of two hit batters and singles by Nate Owens and Chase Hutchens to score a run and grab a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Raper struck out two in a one-two-three top of the second, and then Thomas and Owens both drew bases-loaded walks in the bottom of the inning to make it 3-0.
Central got on the board with a run in the top of the fourth, but the Bobcats got it right back in the bottom half when Raper doubled and courtesy runner Brandon Thomas scored on an RBI single by Peyton Thomas. The Wildcats scored again in the top of the fifth to make it 4-2 and set the stage for the late blast from Bevis.
Peyton Thomas finished 1-for-2 with two RBIs, and Owens was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Hutchens was 1-for-4 with an RBI, and Raper was 1-for-2 with a double and a walk.
Phil Campbell 6 Winston County 4
Joe Hardy struck out 11 batters in 4.2 innings of dominant relief on Friday in Double Springs, and the Bobcats scored three late runs to rally past the Yellow Jackets and halt a three-game losing streak.
Hardy (2-0) relieved starter Chase Hutchens in the bottom of the third with one out, two on and Phil Campbell trailing 4-1. The senior right-hander got a strikeout and a comebacker to escape the jam, then sparked a two-run rally by the Bobcats with a two-out single in the top of the fourth. Hardy stole second and scored on a base hit by Hutchens, who then came home when Winston County committed an error on Mike Wrona’s single to center to cut the lead to 4-3.
Hardy ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth with a walk and a hit batter, but he picked a runner off third base and struck out two to avoid any damage. He then struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth, and Phil Campbell took the lead on Austen Baker’s clutch two-run single with two outs in the top of the sixth.
Hardy struck out the side again in the bottom of the sixth, giving him eight consecutive K’s. The Bobcats took advantage of two errors to tack on a run in the top of the seventh, and then Hardy struck out two more batters in a scoreless bottom half to finish off the comeback win.
Hardy did not allow a hit or a run in his 4.2 innings, striking out 11 and walking two. He threw 47 of his 71 pitches for strikes.
Baker was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, and Hutchens was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Peyton Thomas had a double, and Hardy, Wrona, Ridge Raper and Brody Nix also had one hit apiece.
