NEW HOPE — Not many people can hold New Hope High School’s baseball team to four hits. Even fewer can record 13 strikeouts in a game against the Trojans.
Unfortunately for New Hope, in the first of the three biggest games of the regular season, Saltillo junior Drake Douglas did both.
Douglas was dominant throughout, retiring the side in order three times, striking out the side twice and leading the Tigers to a 3-1 victory over the Trojans on Thursday night at Trojan Field.
The teams went into the game with identical 4-0 records in Class 5A, Region 1. Saltillo will take a one-game lead into Friday night’s rematch in Saltillo, with the third game between them slated for Monday night in New Hope.
“That Douglas is good,” New Hope coach Lee Boyd said. “I don’t know exactly what the radar gun said, but it was up there.”
Early on, it looked as if Trojans starter Hayden Dodson was up to the task of matching Douglas. The only runner to reach against the junior during the first two innings came on an error, and he posted four of the first six outs via strikeout.
Saltillo right fielder Kyle McGee put a stop to that, pulling a home run over the fence in right with one out in the third for the game’s first run. But that would prove to be the only “clean” run of the game.
A key play in the game came on what looked like a routine ground ball in the fourth inning. Saltillo’s Matthew Ronkalli singled to open the inning and took second when the ball was misplayed in the outfield. Evan McCarthy then hit a ground ball to third, and the throw pulled New Hope first baseman Brant Smith off the bag.
Many in the crowd thought that Smith had made the tag on McCarthy after being pulled off the bag, and Boyd had a lengthy conversation with the home plate umpire about the play.
“He pulled him off the bag, and I first thought he got the tag on him,” Boyd said. “But I don’t think he did. According to Brant, he thought he missed him.”
The play proved critical when what would have been the third out instead was a sacrifice fly that scored Ronkalli. But by then, Boyd had changed pitchers, bringing in Colin Perrigin with the bases loaded and no outs.
Perrigin minimized the damage, getting a strikeout before the sac fly and an infield grounder to end the inning.
“You bring Colin in, and it’s really only his second varsity appearance,” Boyd said. “That game could have really got out of hand there, and we got out of there with one run.”
The Tigers made it 3-0 in the top of the fifth, again with a little help from the Trojans. This time, Perrigin struck out McCarthy with one out and runners on second and third, but the ball got away allowing McCarthy to take first and Douglas to score from third.
Perrigin then struck out the next two batters, catching Gavin McGee and Daniel Meeks looking to end the inning.
The Trojans finally got on the board in their half of the inning. Adam Adair led off with a triple, but Douglas regrouped to strike out Sam Malone. But Ronkalli, the Saltillo catcher who had a strong game defensively, thought he had a chance to pick off Adair at third base.
Instead, the ball sailed into left field, and Adair trotted home from third with the first, and as it turned out only, New Hope run.
“Adair had a good night,” Boyd said. “He was 2 for 3 at the plate, and he got us a spark there. And I thought Dodson battled hard at the plate, a single to left and a walk. Those two guys had a good night at the plate, but the rest of our guys struggled.
“We’re not happy with 13 strikeouts, but sometimes as a baseball coach you’ve got to tip your cap to the other team.”
“I told our guys don’t get your heads down,” Boyd said. “That’s a really solid club we just played, and we’ve got to get them tomorrow at their place.”
Boyd is still thinking about who will take the mound when the Trojans battle the Tigers on Friday night.
“We’re kind of undecided at the moment who’s going to start, but you’ll see (Austin) Minichino throw some, and you’ll see (Dawson) Lofton throw some,” Boyd said.
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. in Saltillo.
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