Already leading 8-0 going into the bottom of the fifth inning, the Hagerstown Tigers used solo home runs from Aiden Grover and Collin Beaty to nail down a 10-0 win over Union County the night of Thursday, April 27 in a game stopped because of the 10-run mercy rule.
The Patriots gave the Tigers an unexpected break in the bottom of the first inning when the first baseman dropped the ball on what would have been the third out. The Tigers went on to score five unearned runs before the Patriots finally got the final out.
The Tigers scored three more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Back-to-back walks, followed by back-to-back doubles from Wyatt Burris and Kayne Ervin, fueled the inning. The home runs an inning later ended the game.
Quaid Mull only allowed four hits, did not issue a walk, and struck out seven to extend his scoreless streak of innings pitched to 12.
Mull said his teammates provided solid defense and run support that made his job easier. “Having my teammates behind me boosted my energy, especially after they put five runs on the board in the first inning,” Mull said. “Winning conference games means a lot to us. It brings more attention to the great program we have built here. We are still in position to control our own destiny in the conference race.”
Hagerstown head coach Jay Hale said his 2A, sixth-ranked team had a great day at the plate.
“When you put the ball in play with hard hits good things happen,” Hale said. We had some of the best at bats we have had all year tonight against two good pitchers.”
The Tigers collected 10 base hits. Will Combs and Kayne Ervin led the way with two each. Devyn Shepherd had two of the four Patriot hits.
The Tiger win was their 13th consecutive Tri-Eastern Conference regular season win.
Union County (4-10, 1-3 TEC) 0 0 0 0 0 0
Hagerstown (12-2, 4-0 TEC) 5 0 0 3 2 10
Union County hits: Gavin Davis, Kyle Sams, Shepherd (2) – Hagerstown hits: Beaty, Burris, Ethan Campbell, Combs (2), Ervin (2), Grover, Mull, Cole Tracy.
A version of this article appeared in the May 3 2023 print edition of the Western Wayne News.