BRYSON CITY - The Avery Vikings dropped an 11-1 defeat at the hands of top-ranked Swain County this evening.
At the outset, prospects looked promising for the Big Red, as first inning leadoff hitter and senior shortstop Pedro Benavides took a 3-2 pitch by Swain southpaw starter White high over the left field wall to give the Vikings a 1-0 lead. Little did the Vikings know at the time that the run would prove to be the only one they would put on the board for the evening.
Later in the first inning Avery put a runner on, but a 4-6-3 double play killed the Avery rally. Swain answered the Avery tally with four runs in the opening inning off starter Brooks Oakley. Although all nine starters for the Maroon Devils were talented seniors, with five players going on to play collegiate baseball, it was Avery errors which hurt most in the first two innings, Four gaffes contributed to keeping rallies alive as Swain put up three runs in the second frame to lead 7-1 after two innings.
A bobble and an error, as well as three well hit balls helped Swain add two insurance runs in the third. Avery meanwhile continued to hit the ball solidly, as no less than four of the team's hits in the contest would have cleared the fence at the Avery ballpark. Deep dimensions at Maroon Devils Field as well as talented outfielders turned the shots into deep flyouts.
Avery's strongest offensive threat came in the top of the fourth, as two singles and a fielder's choice left two runners on with two outs. A deep flyout to center field ended the inning. Swain rudely welcomed relief pitcher Seth Philips into his final appearance on the mound as a Viking in the bottom of the fourth as White helped his own cause with a home run over the left center field wall. The Maroon Devils added one more run in the frame to account for the final margin in the contest.
The Vikings end their season with a final record of 5-15 on the season and lose four seniors from this year's team.
