When you end the first inning with a seven-run lead, odds are you’re going to come out victorious.
That’s exactly how things played out for the Holtville baseball team, who cruised to a 14-1 victory over Wetumpka in the Slapout Wood Bat Classic on Saturday.
The first inning played heavily in the Bulldogs' favor with a mixture of capitalizing off of the Indians’ mistakes combined with their own prowess at the plate. Six of their eight runs scored came from pitching miscues while the remaining two runs came via a Elijah Headley single to bring in Jadon Quates and Chance Brock for scores.
“What I noticed is their pitcher was struggling a little bit throwing a strike,” Holtville coach Scott Tubbs said. “So I told our guys, we're gonna put the pressure on him and just show him something. We were just showing fake bunt until he could throw a strike. If he threw a strike, then we're gonna get out of it. But he couldn't, so he kind of helped us in that situation by not being able to find the strike zone.”
Although their ability to score runs would catch the eyes of most spectators, what truly shines was the Bulldogs defense. Carson McCutchin saw sole pitching duties where he allowed just three hits while striking out three batters. Even when the Indians made contact, the Bulldogs — more times than not — came down with the ball. However, defense has been one of the weaker points for them this year.
“We were pretty solid today, and that's where we've been shaky most of the year,” Tubbs said. “We've been making a bunch of changes through the last three or four weeks to try to find the right group. But when you try to find the right group defensively and you also got to have the right sticks in the lineup too. Some of the guys that are a little struggling defensively, a little bit, we have to pick them up a little bit, because we need their bat in the lineup. But I think everybody's starting to play with a little more confidence, and that's playing a big role.”
Holtville is on a trend to reach its peak, and it could not have come at a better time. It has yet to play an area with Marbury in the top spot as of right now. If Holtville continues on the trajectory it is right now then a top spot in Class 5A Area 5 seems likely, but the biggest thing is consistency going forward.
“First of all, we got to make sure everybody's unselfish and everybody's got to pull from one another,” Tubbs said. “It's a team thing; It's not a we thing or a me thing. So as long as we keep pulling for each other and keep staying consistent, I think we'll be fine. Pitching has gotta be spot on because we do struggle a little bit at the plate. We're going to have to be consistent, but I like what I've seen over the last week and that was our goal going into this tournament was just build consistency. Right now I'm pretty pleased where we're at.”
