Gary Corsair • Clay County Progress Yellow Jacket shortstop Tate Roberts, No. 11, scampers back to first base during a botched pickoff attempt.
By Gary Corsair
Sports Writer
Hayesville’s baseball team extended its win streak to five games with a pair of convincing victories over Hiwassee Dam last week.
The Yellow Jackets bashed the Eagles 18-1 on Tuesday and added a 12-8 road win on Thursday in a game that wasn’t as close as the final score indicated.
“We were up 11-1 and then we subbed in the bench,” Hayesville Coach Joe Jack Sellers said.
The score was 11-8 when Sellers restored order by reinserting most of his starters after a rough fifth inning.
Tate Roberts made sure the door stayed shut. In the seventh inning, after two Eagles reached on a single and an infield throwing error, Roberts struck out two batters on seven pitches. With the tying run on deck, Roberts induced a fly to right field that Dawson Devane caught for the final out.
Hayesville led 1-0 when the Jackets broke the game open with a six-run third inning.
Adrian Fuentes kicked off the party by drawing a walk and stealing second. Michael Mauney then blasted the Jackets first hit of the game — a smoking shot that was cut off just in front of the left field fence. Ben Bethel followed with an even more impressive shot to right, a two-RBI double. Bethel scored on a wild pitch and catcher’s throwing error. Roberts and Kyle Shaheen reached on walks and came around to score by stealing and advancing on Hiwassee Dam errors. Chance Hughes singled and stole second, then crossed the plate on a high infield pop-up by Cade Caruso that dropped untouched near first base.
Hayesville batted around, fashioning a 7-0 lead on two doubles, two singles, three walks, three errors, four walks and a wild pitch.
Bethel, Hughes and Mauney led Hayesville with two hits apiece. Bethel raised his batting average to a heavenly .636 and his slugging percentage to .864 with a pair of two-baggers.
Mauney, who raised his batting average to .540 and is hitting .750 over the past five games also had four steals — he’s 15-of-15 on the year — and three runs.
Bethel and Caruso were tops in RBI’s with two each.
Roberts was the leading thief with four steals.
He was also one of four Hayesville hurlers who didn’t allow a run. Starter Jackson Sellers was the most masterful chucker, whiffing six batters without allowing a hit or walk in two innings. Caruso also worked two innings without giving up a hit. Brady Reynolds allowed one hit in a partial inning.
Hayesville 12, Hiwassee Dam 8
Hits: Bethel 2, Hughes 2, Mauney 2, Caruso, Roberts, Shaheen
Runs: Mauney 3, Hughes 2, Roberts 2, Shaheen 2, Bethel, Boyer, Fuentes
RBI: Bethel 2, Caruso 2, Hughes, Roberts, Shaheen
Doubles: Bethel 2, Mauney, Shaheen
Stolen Bases: Roberts 4, Mauney 3, Bethel, Boyer, Caruso, Devane, Hughes, Shaheen
Walks: Roberts 3, Boyer, Devane, Hughes, Mauney, Shaheen
HBP: Bethel
Sac: Caruso, Hughes
Hayesville 17, Hiwassee Dam 1
The Yellow Jackets knocked the Eagles to their knees with eight runs in the second inning and buried them with seven more scores in the fourth.
Six Jackets had two hits and three others had base knocks as Hayesville roughed up their guests with three extra-base hits, 15 hits total, three sacrifices, 8-of-8 stealing and superb pitching by a trio of Jackets.
Boyer struck out five and walked just one in two innings, Shaheen fanned four and issued one pass in two innings and Brady Reynolds did not allow a hit in his inning of work.
Mauney, Shaheen and Cooper Matheson each had two hits and two RBI’s. Fuentes had two hits and two runs, while Boyer cracked two hits. Bethel had two hits and two steals. Roberts added two steals scored twice.
Hits: Bethel 2, Boyer 2, Fuentes 2, Matheson 2, Mauney 2, Shaheen 2, Barter, Cheeks, Roberts
Runs: Bethel 2, Fuentes 2, Roberts 2, Barter, Boyer, Caruso, Cheeks, Devane, Hughes, Matheson, Mauney, Moss, Reynolds, Shaheen
RBI: Matheson 2, Mauney 2, Shaheen 2, Barter, Bethel, Boyer, Cheeks, Cody, Fuentes, Roberts
Doubles: Bethel, Boyer
Triples: Mauney
Stolen Bases: Bethel 2, Roberts 2, Boyer, Hughes, Matheson, Shaheen
Walks: Devane, Fuentes, Hughes, Roberts, Shaheen
HBP: Devane, Moss
Sac: Bethel, Cody, Shaheen