MHS Baseball Squad Wins Mercy-Rule Contest
Kyle Elliott smacked a walk-off double in the bottom half of the fifth inning, en route to a convincing 10-0 mercy-rule shortened opener of the Region I Section I baseball playoff game against Tyler Consolidated at Mullett Field in New Martinsville May 10.
Justin “Tank” Fox claimed 10 of the 15 Silver Knights’ outs, giving up a walk, a single and a double in gaining the victory from the mound.
Fox struck out two batters in the first, second and fourth innings and struck out three in the third after giving up a walk. He allowed a single and a double in the frame. He also struck out the last batter looking to end the fifth inning.
Magnolia went down in order in the first frame before Davey “Hitman” Howell drilled a single that nearly took off the first baseman’s head. The pesky Eagles flocked together and tallied three runs in the third frame.
Derek Fruner smacked a hard single to right, followed by another solid single by Seth Pay. But, the Knights got the next two batters out before Mason Rine singled to score Fruner and Moore, followed with a two-out RBI single for a 3-0 Magnolia lead.
In the fourth, Treah Keller visited the Magnolia Greenhouse with a solo home run. Landon Herrick got into the fun with a double. Fruner had a bloop single and Herrick scored when the Knight pitcher balked. Meanwhile, Fruner walked to third after stealing second a pitch earlier. Pay walked and Fox laid down a perfectly- executed squeeze play, scoring Fruner. Mason Rine singled home Pay.
In the fifth inning. Pay walked, Herrick singled and Fruner found that he liked to swing the bat and smacked his third single of the game that also plated a run. Elliott doubled to end the game, knocking in Herrick and Fruner for the mercy-rule victory.