NORTHSIDE, ALMA SQUARE OFF IN SUMMER LEAGUE ACTION

One thing Alma coach Kevin Edwards wanted to see from his Airedales squad in the extended summer league was an increase in offensive production. The Airedales were able to do just that Tuesday in the opening game of a doubleheader against Northside. Alma scored in all four innings players, including putting up four-spots in the first and fourth innings, as the Airedales posted an 11-3 win. “We swung the bats a lot better (Tuesday),” Edwards said. “We had been getting some fairly decent pitching and everything and we hadn’t pieced together a bunch of hits; we’ve been squeaking out some tight games and everything, so it was good to see that when we got runners on base, we came through with the big hits (Tuesday) and picked it up swinging the stick, that was good to see.” One player in particular which impressed Edwards on Tuesday was Logan Hatcher, an incoming junior. Hatcher had an RBI triple during the team’s four-run first and later doubled and scored in the four-run fourth. “Logan Hatcher had a couple of big hits, a double and a triple and he’s been swinging it fairly well. ... He squared it up well and was working gap to gap, had a good approach at the plate and not trying to pull off and everything and it worked out well,” Edwards said. Alma had six hits in the first inning, half of those extra-base hits. Garon Taylor doubled and scored the team’s first run, and Drew Montgomery later had an RBI double. The Airedales continued to swing the bats well and get runners on base the rest of the evening. Peyton Canfield had a two-run single in the third which extended Alma’s lead to 7-1; then Logan Taylor drove in two more runs with a single in the fourth. Alma pitcher Grant Shankle went all four innings, recording eight strikeouts. “With so many young players now, and we graduated 15, we’re using the whole summer just to move guys around and just trying to fill some holes, just to see if we can get a few answers going into the fall before spring,” Northside coach Brian Fry said. “Everybody out here is a junior-to-be and we have a couple of sophomores-to-be, and so we’re just starting over.” Fry added there have been a few players which have impressed him during the extended summer play. “William Sanders has been playing great up the middle, and then Tyler Becker has been playing great in the outfield,” Fry said. “Luke Rotert has been hitting it and playing some good first base, so there’s been some positives about it for sure.” The Grizzlies are off for the rest of the week, while Alma is at home again on Thursday to take on Southside.

NORTHSIDE, ALMA SQUARE OFF IN SUMMER LEAGUE ACTION

BUCK RINGGOLD

Times Record | 6/13/2018

PHOTO CREDIT: Jamie Mitchell