QUICK START: Pam Pack gets ahead early to beat Northside
Published 11:14 pm Wednesday, March 9, 2016
PINETOWN — Washington jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. The Pam Pack added three more in the top of the fourth to beat Northside 7-2 on Wednesday’s showdown. The win is Washington’s third in a row and brings Northside’s perfect start to an end.
Panther starting pitcher Zach Woolard walked Washington’s Matt Black and Cody Godley to start the game. Frederick Holscher stepped up and smacked an RBI single through the right side to draw first blood by scoring Black from second base.
Holscher and Godley both found themselves in scoring position thanks to a passed ball. Godley crossed home plate on another passed ball, giving the Pam Pack a 2-0 advantage early on.
That prompted a pitching change for the home side. Sophomore righty Zach Woolard’s night came to an end after registering just one out. A senior lefty by the same name, Zach Woolard, took his place on the mound with runners on the corners. Washington notched a third run on Nick Everette’s sac-fly RBI that plated Holscher.
Woolard got Tripp Barfield to strikeout swinging to get out of the inning.
“It was a big game for both teams. (Northside was) pumped up for this game, especially being at home,” Washington coach Kevin Leggett said. “I’m glad we jumped out on them. It calmed them down a little bit and showed them we were here to play tonight.”
Northside coach Keith Boyd added, “It’s really hard (to come back) when Logan (Little) is pitching like that all night. He kept us off balance and we haven’t really seen anyone with that velocity. … He kept us at bay and never really allowed us to get there.”
Washington tacked on three more in the fourth. Cooper Anderson and Tyler Harrell notched consecutive one-out hits — a double to right-center field and a single to left field, respectively.
Jacob Smith, running for Anderson, scored on Godley’s hit through the right side. Harrell followed shortly after on a passed ball with two strikes and two outs. Holscher’s single to the left side pushed Godley across, making it 6-0.
Meanwhile, Pam Pack pitcher Logan Little kept the Panthers at bay. He struck out the side in the first and held Northside without a hit until the fourth. After he fanned the first two batters in that frame, he walked Brock Marsh, who later scored on Chase Sauls’ RBI single up the middle.
“I’m very proud of Logan. I’m looking for him to be in the starting rotation this year,” Leggett said. “Nights like tonight show me that he can and will be. He threw great. He was controlling the ball, he was hitting the spots and ground balls are all I really ask for. He got a lot of strikeouts, too.”
Northside, now facing Holscher on the mound, scored one more run in the fifth. Woolard crossed when Parker Boyd grounded out to first base. However, the Panthers’ early deficit and strong pitching opposite of them proved too much to overcome.