By By Will Bardwell / staff writer
April 7, 2004
COLLINSVILLE If any doubt existed that West Lauderdale would lose on the night their home field was named for longtime head coach Jerry Boatner, Parker Temple erased it with one swing.
The Knights center fielder crushed a three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth to close the door on an 11-0 win over cross-county rival Southeast Lauderdale on Tuesday.
The win was the 820th of Boatner's career, but the first since West Lauderdale's field was renamed Jerry Boatner Field in a pre-game ceremony. The Knights scored eight runs in the final two innings to take a run-rule victory, but the game was much closer in the early going.
West Lauderdale avoided an early disadvantage when Ricky Gardner pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the top of the first inning. The Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Tyler Vick stroked a two-out double off the wall in center field, scoring Jay Warren and Drew Snider. Vick finished with a game-high three RBIs.
The lead almost became much greater in the second inning. Jud Godwin reached first on a bunt single to load the bases with no outs, but Southeast Lauderdale pitcher Anthony Linton struck out three straight batters to end the inning.
But the Tigers were not the only ones saved by solid defense. Southeast Lauderdale put runners on second and third with one out, and shortstop Bo Davis made two plays to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard. Davis jumped to his left to catch a screaming line drive up the middle, then made a play on a ground ball in the hole to preserve the shutout for the Knights.
Gardner picked up the win for the Knights and allowed only three hits two of which were infield singles in the first.
West Lauderdale led 3-0 after the fourth inning, then tacked on three more in the fifth. Vick scored on a double by Caleb Dulaney, who finished 2-for-3. Austin Davis came home from third on a wild pitch, and Dulaney came across on a slow grounder hit by Temple.
Austin Davis' single in the bottom of the sixth scored Snider and Vick for an 8-0 lead, and Temple's three-run blast later in the inning ended the game. Davis and Temple each went 2-for-4. Jud Godwin also had two hits for the Knights.
Drew Harper went 1-for-2 from the plate for Southeast Lauderdale, and Tigers right fielder Kyle Dawson and first baseman Brandon Booker were each 1-for-3.
West Lauderdale is 20-5, and Southeast Lauderdale fell to 9-13. The Knights play Thursday at Choctaw Central, while the Tigers host Carthage the same day.