COAL CITY- The Greenbrier East baseball team got back on the winning track after a nice 11-2 road win over the Independence Patriots on Wednesday, March 27.
Down 2-1 heading to the fourth inning, the Spartans used that fourth frame to start a rally that lasted the next three innings and put them over the top. Gavin Bennett hit a sac fly that scored Ashton Cochran that made the score 2-2. Two bases loaded walks drawn by Peyton DeHaven and Nelson Lynch put the Spartans on top 4-2 as Patriot starting pitcher Levi Barnett began to struggle with his control.
Barnett was replaced, but the Spartan bats then took over with two more runs in the fifth and five in the sixth to put the game on ice.
Gabe Patton led off the fifth with a double and he scored on Cochran’s RBI single. Cochran eventually stole home to give East a 6-2 lead after five.
Gavin Erskine singled in the sixth and was moved over by DeHaven’s sac bunt. Lynch followed with a double and then the Spartans (2-3) scored a couple runs on Patriot errors. Bennett singled to score Cochran and Bennett scored on a wild pitch to cap the Spartan scoring.
East’s Eli Green had a nice game in relief on the mound. He pitched the final four innings, gave up just 1 hit, no runs, and struck out 5. Layne Lambert started the game for the Spartans.
Barnett went 3.2 innings and gave up 4 runs.
Bennett and Lynch both had two hits. Lynch also scored a run and drive one in, and Bennett scored two and drove in two as well. Cochran led the team with 3 runs scored and had 3 RBIs.
East held Independence to just three hits.
The Spartans will travel to Oak Hill tomorrow evening, Thursday, March 28.
