Teammates tackled Todd Wilson as he ran back toward the dugout from second base.
Wilson’s line drive into left field the Holtville baseball player smacked into left field wasn’t the sole reason the Holtville Bulldogs beat Marbury Friday, but it did make their victory official by putting the team ahead 10 runs in the bottom of the fifth inning for an 11-1 run-rule final.
In its first season since moving up to Class 5A, Holtville captured an area championship Friday behind scorching hot bats and a steady performance from Randy Davis on the mound.
Holtville head coach Scott Tubbs said it was great to see Wilson’s success after several games in which he’d made solid hits that seemed to go right at fielders.
“We knew if he just kept swinging like that he’d be fine,” Tubbs said. “And he came up with a big hit, the game-winning hit, last night. Then that hit right there. As long as he keeps swinging like he is — he’s standing in lava right now. We’re gonna ride him as long as we can.”
Andy Anders / The Herald Teammates mob Todd Wilson after he walks off a run-rule victory that clinched the Bulldogs their area championship.
Marbury, who is also nicknamed the Bulldogs, seemed overmatched from the first pitch Friday.
After Davis sat the opposing team’s batters in order in the top of the first inning, Holtville loaded the bases for catcher Mikey Forney with one out. He brought a run in on a sacrifice fly ball, then Tanner Potts scored after Weston Tubbs caught himself on a rundown with runners on the corners. Holtville led 2-0.
Shortstop Sam Silas and Wilson strung together back-to-back doubles to open the bottom of the third, then Davis singled Wilson home and Potts scratched across yet another run to put Holtville ahead 5-0.
Another three-run inning extended the lead to 8-0 before Wilson’s three-run double concluded the hot hitting day for the Bulldogs.
“We’ve been waiting on that to happen. We’re hit or miss sometimes at the plate,” Tubbs said. “Pitching and defense has been our ticket all year. We very rarely have breakdowns in that area, and it gives us a chance to have nights like tonight.
Outside one drive to the left field wall, Marbury seemed unable to put a barrel on any pitches Davis threw Friday.
The starter recorded three-up, three-down innings in the first, third and fourth frames, with two strikeouts in the fourth. Marbury’s lone run was unearned, after a runner reached on a fielding error, took second on an errant pickoff attempt and scored on a single by Jayden Gibbons.
In total, he pitched five innings with one unearned run and five strikeouts.
“Randy has been as solid as they come just about every start,” Tubbs said. “Last week he had a great start, he had a great start against Elmore County two weeks ago. He always gives us a chance every time he pitches.”
Tubbs said it felt great for the team to win in a year that was not only its first at Class 5A, but his first as the program’s head coach.
The next step for Holtville will be state tournament play.
“What we do in the playoffs, I don’t know,” Tubbs said. “Are we satisfied with being in the playoffs? Absolutely not. We want to go as deep as we can, and that’s gonna be our plan, and we’re gonna work as hard as we can. Our goal is to extend to the next week.”
