Oct. 30, 2016
Box Score | Box Score (PDF) | Coach Hall Audio
THE FLATS – In the first of three games in the 2016 White vs. Gold World Series, the Gold team pounded out 13 hits, highlighted by home runs from both Ryan Peurifoy and Kel Johnson, to take game one of the annual fall classic by a score of 9-2 on Sunday afternoon at Russ Chandler Stadium.
“I was pleased with the game. I think that you just never know how it’s going to turn out because you can never be satisfied. The Gold team ended up scoring a lot of runs, so you kind of feel for the White team’s pitchers and maybe wished they would have pitched better,” commented head coach Danny Hall. “Overall, I thought that it went well. Some of our upper class hitters who we think can hit and we need to count on, I thought those guys did really well and Ryan Peurifoy had a great day at the plate.”
Jake Lee picked up the win for the Gold team, as the sophomore allowed one run on four hits while striking out three in 4.1 innings of relief work.
Lee took over for freshman Connor Thomas who started the contest by giving up only one unearned run on just one hit with seven strikeouts. However, the lefty did walk five batters in 3.2 innings of action. Jared Datoc closed out the game with a scoreless ninth for the Gold squad.
Offensively, Peurifoy led the way going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, two runs scored and a base on balls, while Johnson was 3-for-5 with a solo home run, a double, and three runs scored. Fellow returner Keenan Innis went 2-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, while both Trevor Craport (1-for-4, double, RBI), Will Galloway (1-3, double, RBI) and freshman Chase Murray (0-for-3, BB, Sac Fly, RBI) all had an RBI on the day.
For the White team, Jackson Webb was 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI, while newcomer Xzavion Curry was 2-of-3 with a double and a base on balls. Curry also made the start for the White team on the mound, throwing 3.0 scoreless innings.
After both young freshmen pitchers in Curry and Thomas kept the bats at bay over the first three innings, the Gold team pushed across two runs in the top of the fourth on a Murray sacrifice fly and a wild pitch with the bases loaded to put the visitors on top at 2-0.
White got one run back in the bottom half of the fourth, as Coleman Poje drew a one-out walk, advanced to second on a passed ball and then eventually scored on a throwing error from the catcher on a steal attempt at third to cut the Gold team’s lead to one at 2-1.
After both teams added a run in the fifth, the Gold team’s on a throwing error and the White team’s on an RBI double to left center from Webb, the Gold team pushed its lead back out to two at 4-2 in the top of the sixth on a two-out RBI double off the bat of Galloway.
Following a perfect sixth from Lee in the bottom half, the Gold team blew the game open with a four-run seventh. With one-out in the inning, Joey Bart and Johnson recorded back-to-back singles before Craport hit a double to right center field to plate Bart and put the score at 5-2.
With runners on second and third, Peurifoy then blasted a three-run home run over the left field wall to put the Gold team in front at 8-2.
The White team got a single in the seventh and a double in the eighth, but failed to score before Johnson hit a laser over the left field wall in the top of the ninth to help seal the 9-2 win for the visitors in Gold.
Tech Tidbits
* Ryan Peurifoy was the lone player in the game with multiple RBIs (3).
* Five different players on the Gold team had at least one RBI for the game.
* The two teams combined for 10 walks for the contest.
* Each team stranded eight runners on base over the nine inning affair.
* Nick Wilhite had two stolen bases on the afternoon.
Up Next
Game 2 of the series is slated for a 4 p.m. start on Wednesday, Nov. 2, at Russ Chandler Stadium
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Danny Hall Postgame Comments
