Following two losses to Houston, both by 4-0 scores, the Choctaw County baseball team didn't practice for a few days.
“After the Houston hangover, I gave them a couple of days off,” said coach Andy Young. “They needed a couple of days off to get refreshed.”
One day after returning to practice, the refreshed Chargers had two easy wins last Thursday, defeating Columbus 13-1 and Louisville 17-4. “I was really proud of my kids,” Young said.
The Columbus game lasted only 3 and a half innings as Choctaw County scored five runs in the first and eight in the second. The Chargers had only five hits, but took advantage of walks, passed balls and errors.
Calvin Talley had two hits, and Austin Telano, Braden Hines and Eric Jones one each. Hines drove in two runs and scored once. Landon Wells pitched the first three innings, allowing two hits and a run, with four strikeouts. Tanner Threadgill finished up, throwing a hitless inning, with two strikeouts.
Young had praise for both pitchers. He said Wells, a sophomore, “is going to be a heck of a pitcher one day. All he has to do is throw it in the strike zone and let my defense play. I have a really good defense.”
Threadgill “looked really good in his inning of work. I was impressed with him. He is going to get some more innings.”
Helped by five hit aetters n a row, Choctaw County scored seven runs in the sixth inning to end the Louisville game by the 10-run rule. Austin Fulgham delivered the big hit, a three-run double.
Hines and Fulgham led a 16-hit attack. Hines was 4 for 5, drove in three runs and scored twice, Fulgham 3 for 5 with five RBIs and two runs scored.
Eric Jones pitched the first five innings, allowing four hits and three earned runs, with five strikeouts. Brice Utley finished up, retiring the side in order in the sixth.
“He ate up some valuable innings for us,” Young said of Jones. “He proved he can pitch if we need him down the stretch.”
Hines is the team's batting leader with a .538 average, followed by Fulgham (.381), Threadgill (.368) and Talley (.364). The Chargers have a .307 team average.
Choctaw County were se to play Hatley Tuesday, will be at East Webster Thursday and at Hatley Friday. The Chargers headed into those games at 6-2, but 0-2 in Region 4-3A as a result of the losses to Houston. The Hatley games give the team an opportunity to get to .500 in the region.
