Redmen get off to good start
Published 12:00 am Tuesday, April 3, 2007
PEDRO — Forget the bad things and take only the good.
Rock Hill nearly squandered a 7-0 lead as they beat the Symmes Valley Vikings 7-4 in the season opener for both teams on Monday.
“We did everything we could to try and give it away, but a win is a win,” Redmen coach Barry Litteral said. “We were a little nervous with this being our first game. We learned a lot and we can build on it.”
Josh Guy threw five strong innings to get the win. He struck out seven, walked one and allowed just one hit.
The Vikings didn’t get a runner to second base until the sixth inning.
“Guy threw really well. His pitch count was getting pretty high and we didn’t want to take a chance with him this early in the season,” Litteral said.
Rock Hill jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning.
Corey Burke singled to start first. Seth Kuehne and J.C. Murnahan followed with doubles and Carl Blankenship capped the uprising with a two-run homer.
The Redmen added a run in the second Burke walked, stole second base, took third on a hit by Kuehne and Murnahan stroked a sacrifice fly.
Rock Hill went up 7-0 in the fourth when Murnahan singled, Blankenship walked, Murnahan stole third base and Mark DePriest hit a sacrifice fly. The relay throw to get Blankenship sailed over the third baseman’s head and Blankenship scored.
The Vikings got two runs in the sixth when Ethan Wilson and Robbie Powell doubled for a run and Brice Sexton had an RBI single.
Symmes Valley got two unearned runs in the seventh with two outs.
Kyle Meadows and Jeremy Hatfield walked, Meadows stole third and both runners scored on a misplayed fly ball to the outfield.
Murnahan was 2-3 and Kuehne 2-4 as Rock Hill had 7 hits.
Sym. Valley0000022=442
Rock Hill410200x=772
Robbie Powell, Brice Sexton (3) and Cody Bland. Josh Guy, J.C. Murnahan (6) and Murnahan, Derek Maddy (6). W-Guy (1-H, 7-K, 1-BB). Save (3-K, 2-BB, 1-ER). L-Powell. 2B-SV: Ethan Wilson, Robbie Powell; RH: Seth Kuehne, J.C. Murnahan. HR-RH: Carl Blankenship. Hitting-SV: Ethan Wilson 1-4, Robbie Powell 1-4, Brice Sexton 1-3, Brandon Bowling 1-1; Rock Hill: Corey Burke 1-3, Seth Kuehne 2-4, J.C. Murnahan 2-3, Carl Blankenship 1-3, Zach Zornes 1-3.