The Winder-Barrow High School baseball team was all business Monday afternoon.
Coach Brian Smith’s squad made quick work of visiting Habersham Central as the Diamond Doggs took an 11-0 win in 8-AAAA action in five innings to begin the second part of the region schedule. WBHS is now 8-3 in region play and right in the middle of the playoff chase.
“In our minds we are starting a new season,” Smith said after the impressive win. “We went in today thinking we were 0-0 in region. We looked at it like we had a clean slate. We always want to keep getting better and finish hot.”
The Diamond Doggs were certainly hot at the plate Monday as perhaps the warm spring weather motivated the offense to perform well. WBHS had nine doubles in the game and never gave Habersham Central much of a chance.
Smith saw his team score four runs in the bottom of the first to set the tone.
Four additional runs in the third and three more in the fourth would be more than enough in this contest for the home team.
Taylor Keinat worked another strong outing for the Doggs with seven srikeouts.
“He threw great again,” Smith said. “He was really painting the corners. He was in complete control.”
Keinat’s earned run average now stands at an impressive 1.04.
While the win puts WBHS (14-3, 8-3) a step closer to one of its goals of making the postseason, Smith was not ready to look that far ahead — not yet anyway.
“We take it one practice at a time, one game at a time,” the coach said. “In high school baseball, anything can happen. We just want to keep winning. If we do that, the rest will take care of itself.”
Prior to Monday’s game, the Winder-Barrow High School Diamond Doggs, defeated Madison County 10-0 Friday and Monroe Area 11-2 last Wednesday.
In Friday’s win, Dustin Dunagan worked a six-inning shutout while Keinat, Max Pentecost and Taylor Hinshaw helped lead the way at the plate.
Clint Spratlin earned the win in last Wednesday’s game against Monroe Area.
Ryan Brown delivered his first career varsity homerun against the Purple Hurricanes while Hinshaw connected on his sixth long ball of the spring. The win improved Spratlin to 5-0.
The two games completed the first half of the Region 8-AAAA schedule for the Diamond Doggs with a 13-3 overall mark and 7-3 Region 8-AAAA record.
DIAMOND DOGG NOTES
Dustin Dunagan, Clint Spratlin and Ryan Brown were each listed as Honorable Mention Prep Players of the Week by the Athens Banner- Herald April 6.
Dunagan was listed for his complete game against Madison County while Spratlin’s complete game was noted against Monroe Area.
Brown, playing in just his second varsity game for Winder-Barrow, connected on a two-run homer against Monroe Area.
