PALMYRA − It didn’t take too long. After Gunnar Carroll and his defense worked their way out of a tough first inning by surrendering two runs, things went pretty smoothly for Louisa County from then on out. The Lions answered back in the top of the second, and after padding their lead in the fourth and fifth innings, Louisa was able to leave Palmyra with a 12-2 win via slaughter rule.
“We were just amped up tonight,” said Louisa coach Kevin Fisher. “I’m very pleased with our effort, our mentality and the way that we stuck together.”
After the Flucos were able to bring in a pair of runs on three walks and a hit, the Lions stepped in front in the top of the second with a 4-run inning that was highlighted by a deep opposite field single from Brandon Perrin that drove home two runners.
“We’ve been working on going the other way all season,” Perrin said. “That’s been our approach. I got up there and trusted my hands and it seemed like everyone else did too. I think we had just as many hits to the right side as we did to the left. If there’s one things that’s true in baseball, it’s that hitting is contagious and we all had it tonight.”
Both Carroll and the Louisa defense went to work over the next four innings. The Louisa senior allowed only five more base runners and gave up only two more hits for the rest of the game. Even when the Flucos did get runners on base, the Lions were able to neutralize them as they turned a pair of inning ending double plays.
“That a pitcher’s best friend always.” Carroll said of the help from his defense. “Peter Colver showed a lot of heart on that first (double play), getting his tooth knocked out. There’s nothing bigger than getting two outs on one pitch. It keeps the pitch count down and helps you out so much.”
Up by four runs in the top of the fifth, Louisa went on a scoring spree with with one out as they drew three walks and got three hits, including a pair of 2-run singles from Wes Tester and Jeff Buckler.
Facing a 10-run deficit in the bottom of the fifth, Fluvanna needed a run to extend the game, and a triple from Ryan Foster with one out looked like it might do the trick. But Carroll struck out the next batter and that was followed by a shallow outfield fly that the Lions were able to snag to seal the win.
Carroll picked up the complete game victory and struck out four batters while allowing three hits. He also wound up playing some timely defense of his own with a pair of runners in scoring position in the bottom of the second when he snagged a laser hit right at him to end the inning.
“I could see it the whole way but I wasn’t sure if my hands were moving or not,” Carroll said. ‘Luckily my glove got in the way before it would have killed me.”
At the plate he finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs.
The Lions had five players with two hits and two RBIs including Perrin, Tester, Buckler, Carroll and Dylan Wratchford. Perrin finished the game 3 for 3 with three runs scored.
For Fluvanna, Foster was 1 for 2. Kyle Pillow and Josh Barringer brought home both runs, but with more errors than hits and the team’s third loss in as many games, Flucos coach Mike Sheridan is hoping the squad’s trip to Florida over spring break will get his team headed in the right direction.
“We have to come together as a team and learn how to trust one another,” Sheridan said. “We’re going to get better. (These losses) are just a little hard to swallow right now.”
The Lions (5-1, 2-0 Jefferson) will also be playing over spring break in South Carolina. They will return to host Orange County on April 12 at 7 p.m.
Fluvanna (0-3, 0-3) returns on April 13 and will head to William Monroe at 5 p.m.
