Red Devils extend winning streak to nine

By Staff
Mike Self FCT Sports Editor
VINA - Rodney Barnes and Corey Scott combined on a two-hitter, and Gary Taylor led a strong hitting attack by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored as Vina defeated Lynn 9-3 on a chilly Tuesday afternoon at Joe Clack Memorial Field.
The win was the ninth in a row for the Red Devils (10-1), their longest streak since opening last season with 11 straight wins, but coach Greg Hamilton was in no mood to celebrate.
"We didn't deserve to win this game. In my opinion, we shouldn't have won this game," said Hamilton, who was frustrated with several mistakes by his club in the field and on the bases. "We made too many errors, and our baserunning was atrocious. We just played sloppy. We were lackadaisical, and we had no fire about us. We won, but we took a step back in winning."
Hamilton said he was concerned about how the Red Devils would perform after Monday's big win over Marion County.
"I was worried we might have a letdown, and we did," Hamilton said. "We didn't look very sharp, and neither did [Lynn]. They made some terrible mistakes, too. It wasn't a well-played baseball game on either side. I think we're just a little better than they are, and sometimes talent can overcome poor judgement and poor play, I guess."
Vina committed five errors on the day and had three runners thrown out on the bases. Ultimately, the Red Devils were able to out-hit their mistakes, finishing with 13 hits, including first-inning home runs by Barnes and Max Weeks.
"We've been hitting the ball pretty well lately, except for the Marion County game," Hamilton said. "We only had five hits that night, but we had 14 on Saturday [in a 10-7 win over Decatur Heritage] and 12 on Friday [in a 10-0 victory over Waterloo]."
Barnes and Scott took care of business on the mound Tuesday, combining to strike out 13 batters while allowing zero earned runs.
Barnes got the win, allowing three runs on two hits while striking out eight in 4 1/3 innings.
When Lynn mounted a rally in the top of the fifth inning, Scott came on and struck out Steve Cagle and Matthew Cagle to end the threat.
Scott retired all eight men he faced, five by strikeout and three on comebackers to the mound.
"Corey came in and really mowed them down," Hamilton said. "That was definitely a positive for us. And Rodney threw fine. I think he just let the errors get to him a little bit. We're awfully young behind him."
Two runners reached for Lynn in the top of the first, but Barnes picked one off second and Scott threw out the other attempting to steal.
Vina went to work with the bats in the bottom of the first, getting four consecutive one-out hits.
Weeks started things with a solo homer to left. Taylor then singled, stole second and scored on an RBI single by Scott to make it 2-0.
Barnes then smashed a pitch from A.J. Holland into the parking lot beyond the left-field fence for a two-run homer and a 4-0 Vina lead.
Taylor threw out a runner at home from center field in the second inning, and Barnes fanned the side in the third.
Lynn scored its first run in the top of the fourth with the help of two Vina errors. Barnes struck out Zack Nagel with runners at second and third to prevent further damage.
The Red Devils added some insurance with three runs in the bottom of the fourth.
Paul Wilkins singled to center, moved to second on a wild pitch, and scored on a single by Kerry Lawler. Weeks followed with an infield single, and Taylor ripped an RBI double to left-center.
Scott's RBI groundout made it 7-1.
Lynn came back with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fifth, but Vina put the game away with two runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Taylor led off with a double and scored when Scott reached on an error. Kyle Green later added a sacrifice fly to make it 9-3.
"We're glad to get the win, but we're going to have to correct our mistakes if we want to be competitive in an area like ours," Hamilton said.
Lawler finished 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI, and Weeks was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Luke Childers also went 2-for-4.
Vina is scheduled to travel to face Waterloo today at 4:30 p.m. The Red Devils don't play their first game in Class 1A, Area 13, until March 28 when they host Marion County.