A strong starting effort and solid plate performances helped the Raider squad to hammer home a 9-0 win.
“We did a good job, and got some really timely hits. Our base running was good too. We had a lot of guys give pretty solid efforts,” said Cleveland head coach Ted Carson.
Starter Taylor Thompson was lights out for the Raiders, hurling a complete game two-hitter. He had a no-hitter running trough the fifth inning and finished the game with six strikeouts.
“Taylor put in a really solid effort for us. He had his stuff working, and did a good job of keeping the Rhea batters off balance all night long,” Carson stated.
The Raiders jumped out early, plating a pair of runs to lead off the game, gaining a lead that helped a younger team settle down and focus on playing.
Cleveland tacked on another pair to open the third inning and went on a tear in the fifth, knocking in another five to bring the game to its 9-0 final.
“I think it was really good for us to jump out early like that. It helped us to relax and find the momentum we needed to get the win,” Carson explained.
In addition to his winning effort, Thompson helped out his cause by plating an RBI. Tyler Shugart went 2-4 with three runs, and Robert Parr had the game’s only extra base hit and tallied three runs and an RBI. Jesse Jones went 2-for-3 with a run batted in. Jake Wyrick knocked in a pair with a pinch hit single and Kimsey Bell also plated two. Jake Motes also had an RBI in the win.
Cleveland will be in action again over the weekend as it takes part in the Ooltewah Invitational Tournament.
RAIDERS 9, GOLDEN EAGLES 0
Cleveland 202 050 0 — 9 8 0
Rhea County 000 000 0 — 0 2 1
WP: Taylor Thompson 7 IP, 6 Ks, 2 BB, 2 H, 0 ER. LP: Brent Smith. 2B: Robert Parr (CHS). RBI: Parr, Jesse Jones, Jake Wyrick 2, Kimsey Bell 2, Jake Motes, Thompson (CHS). Records: Cleveland 4-1, 2-0 5-AAA; Rhea 1-6, 0-4 5-AAA.牵
