WEST POINT – West Point was determined to not let county rival Fairview clinch a playoff berth Tuesday evening on the Warrior diamond.
In a critical 5A, Area 12 game for both sides, West Point prevailed 9-3, thanks to timely hitting and good pitching from freshman Matt McDonald.
The Warriors came out with bats swinging, getting three hits in their half of the first to rally from a 1-0 deficit and lead for the rest of the evening.
"Everything they scored, we would answer them by scoring, too," coach Seth Ward said. "We had a good approach coming in. We were ready to play. This was very huge for us."
The Warriors pounded out four consecutive hits against Fairview starter Tyler Ball, taking the lead at 3-1 when the first was completed.
West Point pushed two across in the second and carried a 5-1 lead to the fourth. Fairview managed to tally a run in the fourth and one in the fifth against McDonald, but was unable to put together a much-needed big inning.
The Warriors sent two in during the fourth and added a pair of insurance runs in the sixth that gave them a 9-3 advantage going to the seventh.
McDonald needed just seven pitches to retire the Aggies in the seventh and keep West Point in playoff contention.
Kolton Easterwood and Levi Allred were 4-for-4 on the evening with singles to guide the 10-hit attack for the Warriors. McDonald and Hunter Persall produced two singles. McDonald drove in four runs with Persall, Easterwood and Sam Briehn each collecting a run batted in.
McDonald had a good effort in going the distance, scattering seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts. He kept the Aggies from scoring in the second, third, sixth and seventh innings.
Clay Lanier belted two singles to guide the Fairview hitters with Lane Schnittker, Ragan Ashley, Truman Boyd and Riley Carroll producing a single each.
Ball threw four innings for the Aggies and was charged with the loss. Matthew Holmes pitched a couple of innings of relief and was relieved by Lanier in the sixth.
Fairview dropped to 3-2 in Area 12 play with West Point now 2-3. The series shifts to Fairview for a doubleheader Thursday with the opener at 4:30 p.m.
Curry went into a Tuesday series against Hayden standing 3-1 in area play. The opener of this series was in Blount County with the Yellow Jackets and Wildcats to resume their series Thursday in Curry at 4:30 p.m.
West Point snapped Fairview's four-game winning streak in which the Aggies had outscored their opponents 33-7. The Warriors were coming off getting shutout 12-0 by Priceville over the weekend before getting ready for a playoff implication showdown.
Copyright 2017 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
