GOOD HOPE, Ala. – The Good Hope Raiders rolled past the Meek Tigers 14-6 in their last game and looked to continue swinging hot bats Friday against Locust Fork. The Raiders did just that, jumping out to a quick 4-0 lead and continuing to put runs on the board throughout the game on their way to a 17-7 win over Locust Fork.
Colten Whatley got the start for the Raiders and worked around a leadoff error to get out of the inning unscathed. Good Hope got off to a very strong start offensively as Paydon Bagwell got hit by the pitch to lead off the inning. Whatley then reached on an error and Braxton Marshall drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. Jed Clements drew another walk to bring home Bagwell to put Good Hope on the scoreboard first. One out later, Russ Wooten and Tyler Black each got hit by the pitch to force home two runs as that made it 3-0. Later in the inning, Dakota Overton hit an RBI infield single to push the Raider advantage to 4-0.
Good Hope broke the game wide open in the bottom of the second inning. A single, a walk, and an error loaded the bases once again with no outs. Caden Drake, Wooten, and Black all drew walks to push their lead to 7-0. One out later, Overton and Bagwell each drew one of their own to make it 9-0 and Whatley made it 10-0 on an RBI groundout. Marshall lined a two-run double to center field to increase the Raider lead to 12-0. The Hornets got on the scoreboard in the top of the third as a pair of doubles cut Good Hope’s lead to 12-1.
Locust Fork loaded the bases in the top of the fourth and a two-run double, followed by a Raider error, made it a 12-5 game. The Raiders looked to widen their lead in their half of the fourth. Michael Barrett hit a single to center field, then Overton drew another walk. Bagwell reached on an error and that allowed Barrett to score as that made it 13-5. Whatley hit an RBI groundout to push Good Hope’s lead to 14-5 and they loaded the bases with two outs. Wooten cleared the bases with a three-run double to right field to give them a 17-5 lead. The Hornets cut the Raider lead to 17-7 on a throwing error, but a nice throw by Clements to Drake allowed him to tag the Locust Fork runner as that ended the game. Good Hope picks up a 17-7 win over the Hornets as that stretches their winning streak to three games.
Wooten finished with a hit and five RBIs for Good Hope (4-3). Whatley, Marshall, and Overton each added a hit and two RBIs in the contest. Black ended up with a pair of RBIs. Bagwell, Clements, and Drake each finished with an RBI, while Barrett added a hit and a run scored.
The Raiders will start area play on Tuesday on the road against Oneonta.
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