The first inning of Thursday’s doubleheader is one that both Heritage Academy and Pillow Academy will want to forget.
A combination of walks and errors allowed a combined five runs to score. Pitching was inconsistent and at that point, no one had a true edge in the game.
Heritage starter Carson Hollis had some unlucky breaks defensively that led to an early deficit, but in an eventual 10-4 win, he finished strong on the mound, striking out seven over six innings of work.
The Patriots wasted no time against the Mustangs, pitching to contact and painting the corners as the defense shored up behind them, leading to a doubleheader sweep and a 3-0 start in conference play.
“For me, it was really being able to settle down and find the zone and trust my infield and outfield to be able to make plays,” Hollis said. “My goal was to throw strikes and let them put the ball in play. I knew we would be fine.”
It took a few innings for the senior to fully settle in on the mound, but in the latter innings of his outing, Pillow was a sitting duck at the plate.
Hollis’ outing got that much easier once Heritage (10-8, 3-0 in MAIS Class 5A, District 1) put up a six-spot in the bottom of the fifth inning.
“All of the pressure is off of me,” Hollis said. “When the game (is) tied, you have a lot of pressure on you, but when you have a five-, six-run lead, you can pitch with a lead and feel confident in yourself.”
A two-run single and two-run double helped to break the game open, and it was smooth sailing from there for the Patriots.
“They’ve really bought into running the bases hard, playing a lot of small-ball and that creates a lot of havoc and chaos,” Heritage Academy coach Brad Haines said. “That allowed our guys to get up there, get some big hits, and take advantage. Hitting is contagious and they started moving forward.”
Thursday’s doubleheader finale featured much of the same success on the mound, with Patriots pitching combining to allow three hits and three earned runs in an 11-3 win, striking out four.
Control issues proved to be more prevalent in the nightcap as Heritage walked six batters in total, but the defense stepped up in a big way, notably senior Collin Adair.
Adair made some flashy plays up the middle for the Patriots, turning an unassisted double play in the fifth and preventing more base hits throughout the game.
“He made some outstanding plays for us to get us out of a couple jams.” Haines said. “They’re growing up and they’re starting to see some good things happen and it just gets that momentum rolling.”
Pitching and hitting go so well together, so it was fitting that as Hollis got himself under control in the first game, the offense came to back him up, something that continued into the start of game two.
Heritage scored 14 of its 21 runs on the day between the fifth inning of the first game and third inning of the second game, showcasing the momentum swing that happened as the Pats took control for good.
“We’re a scrappy bunch and we’re able to put balls in play and not strike out a lot,” junior Jack Ketchum said. “When you don’t strike you, you’re going to find holes, poke a ground ball through here and there. Now that we’re in a three-game series, we can be more structured, more organized, and go toe-to-toe with anyone.”
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