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Malone, Scott help Russellville right the ship with rout of Hamilton

RUSSELLVILLE - Brock Malone struck out nine batters in five shutout innings for Russellville on Saturday night, and Tom Barkley Scott had three hits and three RBIs as the Golden Tigers bounced back from a frustrating loss earlier in the day with an 11-1 rout of Hamilton at Russellville Baseball Stadium.
 
Malone (1-0) was dominant in his second start of the season, striking out two batters in each of his five innings except the first. The senior right-hander held Hamilton (2-12) to just three hits and walked only one—a welcome change for the Golden Tigers, who had issued 12 walks as a team in Saturday afternoon’s messy 6-4 loss to Westbrook Christian.
 
Russellville (12-5) finished with just four hits in that defeat but had that many in a five-run bottom of the first against Hamilton. Rudy Fernandez reached on an error to start the inning, and Landon Ezzell followed with a line-drive single to left. Houston Kitterman then ripped another single to left, chasing home Fernandez to make it 1-0.
 
After a walk to Malone loaded the bases, Scott emptied them with a line-drive double into the left-field corner. He scored one out later on an RBI single by Caden Parker to make it 5-0.
 
Malone was the story for the next four innings, recording eight K’s and three groundball outs while working around a solitary base runner in each frame. He gave way in the sixth to reliever Tanner James, who allowed a single to Jacob Mashburn and an RBI double to Sam Harris before striking out Decklin Knight to end the inning.
 
Leading 5-1, Russellville took advantage of three walks and two hit batters to score six runs in the bottom of the sixth and end the game. Scott delivered an RBI single to make it 6-1, and Nate Green drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home another run. Colton Madden drove in a run with a groundout, and another run scored when Jaret Ward reached on an error with two outs.
 
After a walk to Fernandez, junior catcher Hunter Briles lined a two-run single through the middle, chasing home Madden and Ward to make it 11-1.
 
Scott, who opened the week with a three-hit game in a 15-0 rout of Lawrence County on Tuesday, closed the week by going 3-for-4 against Hamilton with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored. Kitterman went 1-for-1 with an RBI, two runs and two walks. He was also hit by a pitch and reached base safely seven times in eight plate appearances in Saturday’s two games.
 
In previous action:
 
Westbrook Christian 6 Russellville 4
 
The Warriors had only four hits on Saturday afternoon but took advantage of 12 walks—plus three Golden Tiger errors—to rally from an early 3-0 deficit and end Russellville’s five-game win streak.
 
After Tom Barkley Scott worked a scoreless top of the first, the Golden Tigers capitalized on two hit batters and two errors by Westbrook Christian to score twice in the bottom half. Noah Gist walked and scored when Brock Malone reached on an error, and Rudy Fernandez singled and came home when Devin Buckhalter was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make it 2-0.
 
Scott walked the bases loaded in the top of the second before giving way to Houston
Kitterman, who retired leadoff man Garrett Kennedy on a grounder to third to end the inning. Russellville then tacked on a run in the bottom half when Gist beat out an infield hit, stole a base and scored on a sac fly by Landon Ezzell to make it 3-0.
 
Kitterman retired the first batter in the top of the third, but the next five men reached base on an error, a single, two walks and a hit batter. Senior Jaret Ward relieved with the bases loaded, one out and the Golden Tigers clinging to a 3-2 lead. Ward struck out Greyson Robinson for the second out, but No. 9 hitter Addison Ponder singled to center to drive in a run and tie the game. The go-ahead run scored when Kennedy reached on an error, giving the Warriors a 4-3 lead.
 
Westbrook Christian starter Andrew Dutton and Ward both settled in over the next couple of innings, and neither team scored again until the Golden Tigers tied it with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Ezzell reached on an error with one out, and Kitterman walked. After a wild pitch, pinch-runner Omar Tompkins scored on a groundout by Malone to tie the game 4-4
 
Westbrook Christian answered right back with two runs off Ward in the top of the sixth, getting three walks, an RBI single from Cullen Stafford and a sac fly from pinch-hitter Brett Vice.
 
The score was still 6-4 in the bottom of the seventh when Fernandez singled with one out. Ezzell then smacked a deep fly ball to left, where Joseph Gilchrist fell down near the fence before making a terrific catch while sprawled out flat on his stomach. Kitterman singled to put the tying run on base, but reliever Samuel Dutton struck out Malone for the final out.
 
Ward (0-1) took the loss, allowing two earned runs on three hits in 4.2 innings. He struck out five and walked six, throwing 96 pitches. Andrew Dutton got the win for the Warriors, and Samuel Dutton pitched the final two innings to earn the save.
 
Fernandez was 2-for-4 with a run, and Gist went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base. Kitterman had the only other Russellville hit.
 
The Golden Tigers will return to action Tuesday at home with a game against Florence at 4:30 p.m.
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