By SID WOODMANSEE
The Hays Rebel varsity baseball team started out their District season opener as visitors at Lockhart HS.
Hays got out to a slow start with a scoreless first two innings with some unfortunate base running errors. At the top of the third inning, Junior Justin Montana hit a hard line drive down the first base line. He took off like scared rabbit until he came sliding into third base just above the tag. With a Senior Alex Robles walk and base hits by Junior JC Cerda, Senor Granger Studdard and Junior Devin Palm the Rebels ended the inning with three runs on the board.
Junior Justin Diaz led off the fourth inning with a nice single through third base and short stop for a base hit. Senior Alec Swafford took a hard pitch to the back and a Justin Montana walk loaded the runners on the bases. Another hit batter brought a run across the plate. RBI’s by JC Cerda and Senior Dalton Niles cleared the bases to put up four more runs in the fourth. In the fifth inning Justin Diaz hit a hard ground ball to the Lockhart short stop, who bobbled the ball, allowing Diaz to reach first. Alec Swafford had a nice base hit to move Diaz around to third and a Justin Montana single score Diaz and a JC Cerda single scored Swafford to add two more runs in the 5thinning.
Even with a nice Devin Palm double and a Junior Nate Scott base hit single, Hays failed to get a run in the 6th. Two bases on balls and Catcher interference placed three more Hays runners on base in the 7th inning which Hays capitalized on by RBI’s by JC Cerda and Granger Studdard to bring the total runs to 12. Hays starting Junior Pitcher Tyler Woodmansee went the distance for all seven innings against Lockhart with three Lockhart earned hits, one error and eleven strikeouts for 12-0 shutout sealing Coach David Null’s first District Win as Head Coach .
Hays will play district opponent Clemens next Tuesday night at Home at 7:00 p.m. Tuesday the 12th.
