Trojans triumph with power display

By MATT KING
Daily Journal Sports Writer

POTOSI - Sophomore catcher Brad Wright crushed a pair of two-run homers, and infielder Landon Young also went deep on Friday as the Potosi baseball team slugged 14 hits in a 10-5 victory over visiting Perryville.

Brad Coleman and Chad Smith collected two hits each, and Matt Marler finished 3-for-4 to help lead Potosi (2-0). The Trojans maximized their second trip through the batting order by tallying five runs in the third inning.

Coleman singled and scored when Young lashed a hit-and-run RBI triple to center, and Smith followed with a tying RBI double. Wright put Potosi ahead with a screaming drive beyond the right-center fence, and Andy Reed made it 6-3 with a RBI double.

Potosi added three runs after two outs were recorded in the fourth. After a base runner was lost between third and home, Wright connected on his second deep blast of the day. Kyle Marler followed with a single and stolen base, then reached the plate on a RBI single from Matt Marler.

Wright drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth for a 10-3 advantage, and finished 2-for-3 overall with five RBI. Devin Hampton also singled for the Trojans in his lone plate appearance.

Smith allowed five runs on 10 hits over 5 2/3 innings, but struck out seven for the win. A two-run homer from Justin Dailey and consecutive singles by Andrew Martin and Luke Ponder ultimately chased Smith in the sixth.

Kyle Marler, who tossed an opening-day shutout at Valley on Monday, escaped a bases-loaded jam with a key strikeout before closing out the Pirates with a scoreless seventh.

A steady breeze toward center field accompanied the hitters throughout the contest, and the teams combined for 10 extra-base hits, including five home runs. Playing its initial game of the season, Perryville used an aggressive approach at the plate from the opening pitch.

Jon Hecht lined a lead-off single and scored when Waylon Sparkman sent a two-run blast over the left-field fence in the first inning. After Young answered for Potosi with a lead-off solo shot, the Pirates restored a 3-1 lead in the second on doubles by Dailey and Ponder.

Ponder was a perfect 3-for-3 from the No. 9 spot in the Perryville lineup. Dailey and Sparkman each finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Hecht fanned four batters over three innings, but took the loss after yielding five earned runs on eight hits.

Potosi will host North County to open conference play on Tuesday. That contest will precede a stretch of six straight road games for the Trojans.

Perryville  210 002 0 - 5  10  1

Potosi  105 310 x - 10  14  2

Hitting:

Perryville - Ponder 3-3, Sparkman 2-4, Dailey 2-4, Hecht 1-2, Martin 1-3, Roth 1-4. 2b - Ponder, Dailey. HR - Sparkman, Dailey.

Potosi - M Marler 3-4, Wright 2-3, Coleman 2-3, Young 2-4, Smith 2-4, Hampton 1-1, Reed 1-2, K Marler 1-4. 2b - Smith, Reed. 3b - Young. HR - Wright 2 (2), Young.