Michael Myers (17) went all seven innings for the ‘Cats, racking up six strikeouts and allowing four runs on six hits with no walks. / Nick Griffin
CULLMAN – The Cullman Bearcats rolled past Northridge 11-4 Thursday night thanks to some power from their lineup and an efficient night on the mound from right-hander Michael Myers. The Bearcats came up with 11 hits in the win and got out to a quick 1-0 lead in the first inning.
Cooper Beck sprinted home from third base on an error and after Myers made quick work of the Jaguars in the top of the second, Cullman’s bats took a commanding lead in the bottom half of the inning. Dylon Wallace stole third base and made the turn to score after a throwing error put the ball in left field. After that, Grayson Taylor put three more runs on the board with a bases-clearing triple to deep center field that put the ‘Cats up 5-0. Taylor came home on a wild pitch during the next at bat and Cullman took a 6-0 lead into the third. Taylor produced a lot of offense for the Bearcats Thursday, leading the team with four RBIs.
Three more quick outs from Myers put the Bearcats back at the plate where they added two more runs in the bottom of the third. Weston Norton scored Wallace on a single into right field and Beck crossed the plate on a sac fly from Taylor to go up 8-0.
The ‘Cats scored their ninth run in the fourth on an error in the outfield and Myers finally allowed his first run in the top of the fifth on a fielder’s choice. Northridge found some runs in the top of the sixth, scoring three and cutting the Bearcat lead to 9-4. Wallace answered in the bottom of the inning with a two-run shot over the left-center field wall that put Cullman up 11-4 and officially closed the door on the Jaguars. Wallace went 3-for-3 with two RBIs at the plate and reached on a walk. Myers went out to the mound for the final three outs and made quick work of Northridge to secure the 11-4 win. Myers went all seven innings for the ‘Cats, racking up six strikeouts and allowing four runs on six hits with no walks.
Bearcats’ Head Coach Brent Patterson gave credit to his guy on the mound for a lot of their success both at the plate and in the field.
“Mike (Myers) set the tone on the mound and we put him in a bad place to start the game off when we made an error and put a runner on second, and then he pitches out of it and we come in and score in the bottom of the first,” Patterson said. “So, he set the tone on the mound, he threw three or four pitches for a strike on both sides of the plate. Everything revolves around what happens on the mound, and it’s easier to hit when your pitcher fills up the strike zone. It’s easier to play defense when your pitcher fills it up, so I credit everything back to Michael Myers.”
Patterson said his team is still in the process of finding its identity but likes the progress he has seen for the most part since the start of the year.
“We’re pretty close to being good, and we might be just a little bit more close to being real average. We’ve got to have some guys step up on the mound and play up to their potential more. We’ve got a lot of guys that can, but haven’t, and so a lot of times we have to learn how to get out of our own way. I think a lot of it is being comfortable and confident in themselves, so I really like our club, but we showed in the top of the sixth that we’ve yet to really put a complete game together. The Hillgrove game, our first game over there at Lakepoint, was the closest thing we’ve had to a complete game and again that goes back to Michael Myers. It’s easier to play when your pitcher is doing his job.”
The win at home makes it back-to-back victories for the ‘Cats, and they’ll try to make it a winning streak on Saturday when they host Grissom and Hoover starting at 11.
Copyright 2018 Humble Roots, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
