Monster 4th inning propels Cathedral over Vidalia, 10-6

Published 12:32 am Tuesday, March 9, 2010

NATCHEZ — Sometimes all it takes is one big inning to turn the tide in a game.

And for the Cathedral Green Wave, that big inning was the bottom of the fourth.

Cathedral scored nine runs in the inning — all with two outs — which was all they needed in a 10-6 victory over Vidalia Monday night at Chester Willis Field.

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“You take away that fourth inning and we’ve got a good game going,” Vidalia coach Johnny Lee Hoffpauir said. “It’s hard to win when you give up nine runs in an inning, especially when they all come with two outs.”

The bottom of the fourth started innocently enough. With the game tied 1-1, two outs and a runner on second, Hunter Foster crushed a triple to left field that broke the tie and opened the floodgates.

After Foster scored on a wild pitch from Vidalia starting pitcher Seth Thompson, Daniel Huffines and Aaron White both drew walks and advanced to second and third on a double steal.

Huffines scored on an error before Caleb Upton drove White in with a single. Tyler Ballard then hit another single to drive in the fifth run of the inning before Caleb Johnson drove in two more with a triple.

Rudy Lazarus drove in the eighth run of the inning with a single before Barrett Young finished off the hit parade with an RBI double.

“We swung the bats really well today,” Cathedral acting head coach Ron Rushing said. “Hunter Foster started it off with a triple and it went from there.”

Vidalia tried to answer in the top of the fifth inning, as the Vikings took advantage of some walks to score four runs.

Thompson walked with the bases loaded to plate the first run before Seth Barlow hit a single that scored the next run.

B.J. Neely drove in another run with a single before pinch hitter Devin Barnes drove in the fourth run of the inning with a bases loaded walk.

The damage could have been greater, but Aaron White came out of the Cathedral bullpen to get out of the inning with three strikeouts.

White finished up the game for the Green Wave, allowing just one run in the top of the seventh on a Nate Bozeman RBI groundout.

“Aaron really came through for us,” Rushing said. “He inherited a tough situation and got us out of that inning and finished up the game well.”

Cathedral once again played without coach Craig Beesley in the dugout. Beesley is expected to miss four to six weeks after being stricken with a severe case of pneumonia.

But Rushing said the players are handling Beesley’s absence well.

“Cathedral has got a great program and these kids know the routine,” Rushing said. “They want to play hard for him while he’s out.”