Arrows slug Pirates 14-0

By Danny C. Davis

The Clinton High School baseball season is still young, but the Arrows are off to a really good start. Clinton totally dominated Pearl on February 23, with a 14-0 shutout on the road. The Arrows improved to 4-1. The Arrows earlier defeated Newton County 15-5, Ridgeland 4-2, and Senatobia 11-1. The only loss was to Northwest Rankin 5-0.

Clinton will travel to Ridgeland for a 7 p.m. start Friday night, February 28, and will host Warren Central on Saturday, March 1. The first pitch is 2 p.m.

Sophomore pitcher Brady Holmes got the win pitching only 2.1 innings, scattering only 2 hits on 51 pitches, of which 28 were strikes. Holmes struck out five and only walked two.

Clinton pounded out 12 hits.

The Arrows took an early 2-0 lead in first inning, with Ethan Dodson singling and Stone Crain reaching base after hitting into a double play, but both scored.

CHS went ahead 9-0 after a seven-run third inning with 3 hits from Chad Bates, Joseph Walker and Dodson.

Clinton put the game out of reach scoring five runs in the fifth. Walker was hit by a pitch driving in a run. Crain had a 2 RBI triple and Tyrese Haggard scored after walking.

Brody Zumbro and Phillip Burchfield threw in relief. Zumbro threw 1.2 innings, throwing 29 pitches and striking out 4. Phillip Burchfield closed the final inning, throwing 13 pitches, of which 10 were strikes, and had two strikeouts.

And the Arrows’ bats were hot from the start. Dodson was 4 for 4 at the plate. Both Crain and Dodson had 2 RBIs. Steelman had 2 hits and scored a run. Bates, the leadoff hitter, had 2 hits, scored a run and had an RBI. Walker, a speedy base stealer, scored 3 runs and had a hit. Haggard had a hit, a run, and an RBI. Hollins, also a speedy base runner, scored 3 runs.

Fourth-year head coach Sam Temple had praise for his team after the shutout.

“I am really proud of our young men,” said Temple. “They really came out to play tonight. They executed what we teach in the program. We can score some runs, and we proved that tonight. Dodson was 4 for 4, Bates, Steelman, and Walker all had great nights.”

Temple also said he is proud of the pitching staff.

“Brady Holmes is a young tenth grader with a huge future ahead of him,” said Temple. “We are kind of a pitch by committee. We have a lot of guys that we just ask to go out and pitch their best, and we just kind of put it together. We are still looking at a lot of arms early in the season, and we are built on a lot of pieces. “

“The offense is really a lot of fun when they get going like they did tonight, and our defense has been solid.”