May 8, 2010

Stockstill halts Long Beach 11-3

by Carey Meitzler

Picayune--Things looked bleak for the Picayune Maroon Tide after being ambushed 10-0 on Friday at Long Beach and then

falling behind 3-0 in the top of the first inning in Game 2 on Saturday.  However, junior J.D. Stockstill appeared to overcome

with amnesia as he put all those thoughts out of his mind and stopped the Bearcats in their tracks with a sparkling pitching

performance that pushed his Maroon Tide to an 11-3 win and tied the series at 1-1 in games.

Long Beach's three run first included two singles, a Maroon Tide error, a suicide squeeze bunt, and a base balls. Trailing 3-0

with the bases loaded, Stockstill induced a ground ball back to the mound.  He quickly fired to catcher Jay Dedeaux for the

force out at home and Dedeaux calmly stepped in front of the plate and fired a strike to first baseman Kyle Beech to complete

the 1-2-3 inning ending double play.

Picayune got base runners in the bottom of the first against Long Beach starter Michael Paul, but could not score.  Stockstill,

who momentarily did his impression of Obama and Congress by ignoring the deficit he faced, took control of the game when

he returned to the mound in the second inning.

Stockstill put the clamps on the Bearcats as he would allow just two base runners from the second inning through the fifth frame.

Meanwhile, his teammates methodically worked their way back into the game.

Jay Dedeaux doubled to right center with two outs in the third to score Eric Smith to make it 3-1.

In the fourth, Drew Hedgepeth singled to left with one out.  After a strikeout, Jonathan Hickman singled to right center moving

Hedgepeth to third.  Eric Smith singled to right to score Hedgepeth to make it 3-2.

Picayune sent nine men to the plate and pushed across four runs in the fifth to take the lead.  Brandon Jurich was hit by a pitch. 

Kyle Beech bunted and was safe at first when no one covered first.  With Jurich at second and Beech at first, DaKeith Burton

bunted the ball in front of home plate and the ball was fielded by Bearcat catcher Garrett LaRosa who threw to third to force

out Jurich for the first out, but the third baseman's throw to first for an attempted double play was low and wide allowing Beech

to score and tie the game at 3-3.  With Burton on second base, Colton Lee's grounder was bobbled and he reached on the error. 

Hedgepeth bunted the ball toward third base and beat it out for a single loading the bases.  Marvin Van Buren, inserted in the

line-up as a game time decision for the injured Braxton Lee, got behind in the count 1-2.  Van Buren would eventually work a

bases loaded walk to force in Burton with the go ahead run chasing starter Paul from the game in favor of reliever Koby Ross. 

Jonathan Hickman's grounder to second base forced out Van Buren for the second out, but Colton Lee scored from third making

it 5-3.  Smith came through with another two-out RBI single to right center that again scored Hedgepeth making the score 6-3.

Stockstill struck out the side in the top of the sixth with all three coming on 2-2 counts.

Picayune got insurance runs in the bottom of the inning. Jurich started things with a single.  After a fly out, Burton singled to

right.  Colton Lee singled to center scoring Jurich.  With Burton at second and Lee at first, the runners moved up to third and

second bases on a double steal.  With the Long Beach drawn in, Hedgepeth slapped a grounder to first that resulted in an

error on the first baseman allowing both Burton and Lee to score making it 9-3.  Van Buren hit a grounder to short that

resulted in a force out of Hedgepeth at second for the second out. Hickman reached on an error on his grounder to first and

Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases.   Dedeaux singled to center to score both Van Buren and Hickman for a 11-3 lead.

In the top of the seventh, Stockstill got a fly out and two strikeouts for the final three outs sandwiched around a walk and double.

Stockstill struck out 8 batters, with six of those coming in the last three innings. He allowed five hits and walked just two.

Picayune banged out 14 hits.  Dedeaux had three hits while Hickman, Smith, Jurich, and Hedgepeth had two apiece.

Game 3 will be played on Monday at Long Beach at 6:00pm.