May 7, 2010

Long Beach blanks Maroon Tide 10-0

by Carey Meitzler

Long Beach-- A dose of Timmy Maloney pitching and an erratic start by Picayune's defense spelled defeat as the home standing

Long Beach Bearcats took Game 1 of the best of three series by a score of 10-0 at Mike Rutledge Stadium in the second round

of the Class 5A South State playoffs.

Maloney, a southpaw who had 111 strikeouts entering the game, held the Maroon Tide (12-14) to one hit and just three

base runners while fanning five batters in the abbreviated five inning game due to the ten run rule.  Maloney only threw 64 pitches

allowing a hit batsman in the first, a runner on an error on a ground ball to the Bearcats second baseman, and Colton Lee's

one-out single in the top of the fifth. 

Long Beach used two Picayune fielding errors, three walks, and a bases-loaded double by Chase Lunsford off the center field

wall that cleared the bases for a 5-0 lead over Tide starter Jonathan Hickman.

The Bearcats added a run in the second with a leadoff single by Cameron Powell who was followed by Koby Ross' hit and run

single to right putting runners at the corners.  B.K. Hammonds singled to center to score Powell.

Ross reached on an infield single with one out in the fourth and scored when Michael Paul doubled into the left field corner 

to make it 7-0. 

The Bearcats (18-10) ended the game in the bottom of the fifth scoring three runs off reliever DaKeith Burton. Bryan Marks

reached on an infield single and moved to second base on Patric Devlin's sacrifice bunt.  Lundsford doubled to deep center

to score Marks. Cameron Powell walked.  Ross singled to plate Lunsford and Hammons ended the game with a single to

right that scored Powell.

Game 2 is scheduled for 2:00pm at Picayune on Saturday.