Providence gets back at Ardrey Kell
This was not the close SoMeck 8 conference baseball rematch it was supposed to be. After dropping a narrow 3-2 conference decision to Ardrey Kell back on March 17, the Providence Panthers extracted their revenge with a 15-3 thumping over the Knights Tuesday at Ardrey Kell.
The game was stopped after five innings when the mercy rule was enforced, which states that a game is stopped after five innings if a team is ahead by 10 runs or more.
Providence pitcher Josh Hiatt had a solid game on the mound and an even bigger one at the plate. Hiatt went 4-for-4 with a pair of singles, a double, a homer and seven RBIs. His grand slam in the second inning staked the Panthers to a 6-0 lead and Providence never looked back. Second baseman Satchel Jerzembeck also went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBIs for the Panthers.
Providence (18-1, 10-1) scored three runs in the first inning and four in the second, and was aided by three Ardrey Kell errors in the first two innings. The Knights had five errors for the game.
“Everything did go right for us, and they made some mistakes early which opened things up for us,” said Providence coach Danny Hignight. “We played well, and we played the game we needed to play.”
Quote
“Let me be clear here. I’ve got a resilient bunch, and I can assure you we will bounce back.” – Ardrey Kell coach Hal Bagwell.
Worth mentioning
Hiatt put down the first nine Knights batters he faced and didn’t give up a hit until Mckinnon Garner’s single in the fourth inning … The Panthers batted around twice, once in the second inning and once in the fourth … Ardrey Kell right fielder Cameron Brantley accounted for all three of his team’s runs with a three-run home run in the fourth inning … The Knights could only muster three hits in the shortened five-inning game … Ardrey Kell ace Henry Ryan took the loss.
What’s next?
Providence will play at Butler Thursday at 6:30 p.m. . Ardrey Kell (16-3, 9-2) travels to Huntersville Thursday to meet Hopewell at 6:30 p.m.
This story was originally published April 21, 2015 at 11:42 PM with the headline "Providence gets back at Ardrey Kell."