It was another game, another big performance and another victory for the Winder-Barrow High School baseball team Monday afternoon.
The Diamond Doggs posted their 10th consecutive victory by defeating Clarke Central 10-0 in six innings at Charles W. Maddox Complex. WBHS pitchers allowed just two hits on the afternoon and the Bulldoggs took advantage of a six-run second inning to improve to 8-0 against Region 8-AAAA foes. WBHS is 5-0 in subregion play.
Blake Marbut took the win working the first four innings while recording eight strikeouts with three walks. The only hit he allowed was a bunt single in the top of the fourth. Marbut threw 79 pitches before coach Brian Smith brought in Drew Dunagan to close the door. Dunagan was also effective recording all six of his outs by strikeout.
“Marbut keeps us in games by throwing strikes,” Smith said. “He threw a good many pitches but he only allowed one hit and that was a bunt.”
Offensively, Jake Frady was 3-for-3 and drove in three runs while Dalton Carter finished the day 3-for-4.
Clarke Central pitcher Patrick Matthews went five innings and impressed Winder-Barrow’s coach.
“We were able to make contact but he was throwing hard,” Smith said. “They are a better team than their scores are showing.”
The Bulldoggs scored their initial run of the day in the bottom of the first when Christian Hodge, who had a leadoff single, scored on an RBI single from Carter. As it turned out, that would be the only run WBHS needed.
The Bulldoggs essentially closed the door with six runs in the bottom of the second. Ryan Brown had a leadoff single and then stole second before being brought home by Frady. Hodge singled and Alex Childers was brought in as a courtesy runner.
The inning continued with an RBI double by Grayson Ivey scoring Frady and a two-run double by Travis Demeritte. Carter then reached second base and Demeritte scored on the play.
An RBI single by Drew Davis scored Carter for the seventh run of the day and sixth of the inning.
The Bulldoggs left the bases loaded in the bottom of the third but managed two runs in the bottom of the fourth. A triple by Brown would score Carter while Frady drove Brown home with a single.
Frady would have the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrfice fly which scored Davis. After Davis had a leadoff single, Pat Overstreet doubled to bring the winning run closer to home.
On the pitcher’s mound, Marbut worked out of a bases loaded jam in the second and fourth innings, both times leaving the bases full.
Prior to Monday, the WBHS Diamond Doggs defeated Heritage 6-3 Friday. Travis Demeritte connected for his fifth homer of the spring and Grayson Ivey had a two-run blast for the team’s ninth consecutive win.
Christian Hodge was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles. Jake Frady drove in two runs.
Blake Oviedo earned the win striking out three batters and allowed two earned runs in 5.1 innings. Drew Dunagan worked the final two innings to earn the save.
WBHS also defeated Madison County 2-1 on March 28 for the season sweep of the Raiders. The team had defeated Madison County 12-6 two days earlier in Danielsville.
Frady scored both runs for the Bulldoggs. Hodge drove Frady in for what turned out to be the winning run in the bottom of the fifth.
Dalton Carter recorded the win allowing just one hit in five innings. He recorded eight strikeouts.
Demeritte finished the game and had three strikeouts.
Brock Turner, Madison County’s No. 1 pitcher, was also effective allowing just four hits with nine strikeouts.
