A famous baseball TV commercial featuring former Atlanta Braves pitchers Tom Glavine and Greg Maddux once proclaimed that "chicks dig the long ball". On Wednesday afternoon at Avery High School, a packed crowd of fans saw the Vikings go long on five separate occasions over a two-inning stretch, distancing themselves from a once-close contest with Mitchell to power past the Mountaineers 15-3 in five innings.The game was scoreless until the bottom of the second inning when Avery put three runs on the board. A well-executed double steal allowed Brooks Oakley to cross home for the first Viking run. Danny Cole hit a soft roller just past the pitcher and legged out a base hit later in the frame that scored Zac Hall from third, giving the Vikings a 2-0 advantage. Sutton Stanley then hit a double which scored Cole for Avery's third run. Two more batters reached base after Stanley's RBI, but the Big Red was unable to convert and left the bases loaded to close the productive inning.
Mitchell answered Avery's outburst with three runs of its own in the top of the third. A leadoff walk and base hit put a pair of runners on, and an RBI groundout provided the Mountaineers with their first run. A two-out walk put a pair of runners on base, which forced Avery skipper Benny Wellborn to call on Sutton Stanley in relief of starting pitcher Adam Pate. The first hitter Stanley faced roped a double into the gap to score both runners and tie the game. Stanley struck out the next batter to end the Mountaineer threat.
Coach Wellborn pulled his team together after the inning and challenged their focus, imploring the team to play better baseball and get some hits. The words of the passionate coach made a positive impact on his club, as the Big Red exploded for nine runs in the bottom of the third to bury the visitors from Ledger.
Steven Daniels led the inning off with a solo home run to left field to give the Vikings the lead again at 4-3 and, much like a great album from a popular musical group, one great Avery hit came after another. The blast was the first of nine base hits for the Vikings in the frame, as every player in the lineup scored a run by inning's end.
Base hits from Zac Hall, Jared Clark, and Danny Cole helped load the bases following the Daniels blast, and a Mitchell error scored Daniel Huff to put Avery ahead 5-3. Leadoff hitter Chris Childress then came to the plate with the bases full and parked a grand slam down the left field line, much to the delight of the home fans who braved the chilly and windy afternoon conditions.
The Childress shot gave Avery a 9-3 advantage, but the Vikings continued to roll. Two batters later Adam Pate joined the home run club, as he tattooed a pitch deep over the fence in dead center field for a two-run homer. Zac Hall ripped a laser over the left center field fence two batters later for a solo home run before Mitchell finally retired the side. When all was said and done, Avery held an impressive 12-3 lead.
Sutton Stanley continued the dominance from the mound and shut Mitchell down, retiring the side in order in the top of the fourth. In the bottom of the inning he displayed his versatility by powering a two-run home run to boost the Avery advantage to 14-3.
The Big Red added an insurance run for good measure as a number of reserves were inserted into the batting order and produced. Jack Buchanan drew a walk and Jordan English reached base on an error. Bo Barrier then drew a walk to load the bases and Joe Buchanan grounded into a fielder's choice to score Buchanan for the game's final run.
Stanley held Mitchell scoreless in the top of the fifth to seal the decisive win. Avery hosts Hendersonville this Friday for the second game of the week between the two squads. The Bearcats defeated Avery 9-1 on Monday behind an 11-strikeout pitching performance and 4 for 4 with two home run hitting display from Ben Walgenbach.
