AC blanks Pine Hills

Published 12:00 am Monday, March 13, 2000

Adams County Christian School sophomore pitchers Russ Marks and Christopher Rayborn held Pine Hills without a hit as the Rebels blanked the Wildcats 12-0 here Monday in their home opener.

&uot;I was feeling all right,&uot; said Marks, who struck out five batters over three innings. &uot;My arm felt good. We weren’t getting anything done at the plate, so I figured I had to pitch well.&uot;

Marks faced the mininum amount of batters over three innings. Johnathan Honea reached on an error, but was thrown out by Lee Watts trying to steal second.

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Chris Guidry led off the third by reaching third base on an error, but was picked off by Marks.

Rayborn struck out four of seven batters and walked on over two innings.

&uot;Russ and Christopher looked good,&uot; said AC head coach Chad Lipscomb. &uot;Those are two 10th-graders we are depending on.&uot;

AC, 6-1, ended the game in the bottom of the fifth, scoring nine runs to end the game by the 10-run rule.

Leading 9-0 with two on base, Ryan Davis, who had just missed a line drive home run that sailed inches left of the foul pole, hit a towering shot over left center field to end the game.

&uot;I thought I had the first one,&uot; Davis said.

The home run was Davis’ second of the year.

&uot;It was a fastball,&uot; Davis said. &uot;I knew we had to have a base hit to end it, I was just trying to put the bat on the ball.&uot;

Pine Hills pitcher Joey Sturdivant was effective early for the Wildcats, holding AC to an infield hit over four innings.

AC did score three runs in the third as Landon Burr reached second on an error, Hayden Wadsworth and Davis walked and Robbie Powell delivered a sacrifice fly. Ryan Porter beat out an infield single to score a run.

Davis led off the fifth with a triple and scored on Powell’s second sacrifice fly.

Porter beat out another infield hit and Watts and Marks both walked.

Bruce Wiley hit a single over shortstop to score two runs, and bringing in Bo Nettles in place of Sturdivant.

Ty Smith singled, Burr walked and Wadsworth singled and advanced on an error.

After two pitches from Nettles to Davis, Nettles was pulled for Shane Lofton, who gave up the home run to end the game.

Pine Hills remained winless with the loss.

Davis and Porter had four of AC’s seven hits.

&uot;We’re not swinging at the balls we need to be swinging at,&uot; Lipscomb said. &uot;We’re not being very selective and when we do get the ones that count we’re not getting the bat on the ball.&uot;

AC&160;hosts Silliman at 4:30 p.m. Friday, followed by a contest against Rossville at 7 p.m.