By Denis House
Sports Editor
LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. —
Daniel Neal drove in four runs, including two in a seven-run sixth, as the South Laurel Cardinals moved to 4-0 in 50th District play with a 12-2 win over visiting Corbin Tuesday night.
It was also South’s seventh win in a row as the Cards improved to 16-5 overall.
“I’ve been trying to preach to our team that we control our own fate,” South Laurel coach Wynn Harris said. “We must come out and play as hard as we can to secure top spot in the district.”
The Cards have two district games remaining next week against Whitley County on Monday and Tuesday.
Conditions throughout the game weren’t exactly suited for baseball, with temperatures in the 40s and wind gusts over 20 miles per hour. A steady, strong wind blew out to left field throughout the entire game.
It would be Corbin (8-16, 3-3) striking first in the top of the second off starter Trey Martin. Brady Foley led off with a single and Taylor Combs drew a walk. After Martin retired the next two batters, Hunter Grubb singled to right to score Foley for the 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals would claim the lead in the bottom of the third, scoring three runs on three hits against Trace Vorbeck.
“Vorbeck was throwing well,” Harris said. “We were able to put some good swings on the ball. Then Neal gave us a shot with his home run.”
Joe Gaines got things started when he beat out an infield single. After Alex Sears flew out, Neal deposited a Vorbeck offering over the left field fence for a 2-1 lead. On the play, Corbin’s Matthew Jewell raced toward the wall and slammed into the wooden fence. He lay motionless for a few minutes, but would recover and stay in the game.
Stephen Simpson followed with a double to left, then Vorbeck hit Chase McWhorter. Both runners moved up a base when Vorbeck whirled and threw to second in an attempt to pick off Matthew Slavey, who was running for Simpson. Only no Corbin player was covering the base, and the ball sailed into the outfield.
With Drew Irvin at the plate, Vorbeck’s pitch got past the Corbin catcher for a passed ball, and Slavey raced for home. The Corbin catcher got to Slavey and tagged him before he touched home plate, but he was able to knock the ball out of the glove to make it 3-1.
Corbin would get one of those runs back in the fourth when Combs walked to start the inning. After Martin struck out the next batter, Keaton Burton singled to center, putting runners on the corners for Grubb. He would also a single to center, but an alert Trent Abner fielded the ball and threw to second to force out Burton. Combs scored on the play, cutting the South lead to 3-2.
The Cardinals let a golden opportunity go by the wayside in the bottom of the inning when, with one out, they had runners on first and third, but Vorbeck struck out Sears and Neal to get out of the inning.
South did add two more runs to its lead in the fifth to make it 5-2.
Simpson led things off by getting hit by a pitch, and Slavey once again was brought in to run for the Cardinal catcher. After McWhorter fanned, Irvin hit a chopper that he beat out for an infield single. He would then steal second.
With Martin at the plate, an attempt to pick off Slavey at third got past the thirdbaseman and both Slavey and Irvin scored on the play.
Braden Miller came in to relieve Martin and retired the side.
“Trey didn’t have his best stuff, but he still had a good outing,” Harris said. “Braden came in a threw strikes.”
South then put the game away in the seventh, scoring seven runs to end the game on the 10-run rule.
Abner led off with a single against new pitcher Jacob Metzger and moved to second and third on passed balls. Gaines drew a walk, as did Sears, to load the bases for Neal, who laced a double to left to bring Abner and Gaines home and make it 7-2.
Simpson then struck out, but the catcher dropped the ball and had to throw to first. On the play Sears came home for another Cardinal run.
A double by Irvin plated Neal, then Miller singled and Austin Moore came in as a courtesy runner. Irvin advanced to third on the single. Moore stole second to take away a force play.
Zach Allen grounded to short, but the throw was high at first, and Allen was safe and Irvin and Moore both scored. Abner followed with a single, and Allen moved to third on a wild pitch. He then scored on a passed ball to make the final 12-2.
The Cardinals are scheduled to travel to Middlesboro tonight.
sports@sentinel-echo.com
