Armstrong out-duels Gardner as Tigers win two

By Staff
Mike Self, Franklin County Times
Cody Armstrong struck out 14 batters in a complete game no-hitter on Tuesday, out-dueling Belgreen's Justin Gardner as Red Bay finished off a season-opening sweep of the Bulldogs with a 2-1 win.
Gardner also struck out 14, and the game was locked in a 1-1 tie heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Ely Cox doubled with one out and then scored on a two-out single by Derrick Miller, giving the Tigers (2-0) a thrilling win.
Red Bay coach Donnie Hastings was impressed with the velocity of both Armstrong and Gardner on the mound.
"There was a lot of smoke out there today," said Hastings, whose team cruised to an 11-1 win in the opener. "Cody was throwing gas. He was throwing harder than he did last season. I'm glad we scored in the bottom of the seventh to get him the win, because he was coming out either way. He had thrown 99 pitches, and that was enough.
"I feel bad for Gardner, because he pitched an awesome game himself. Neither of them deserved to lose."
The Bulldogs (0-2) scored a run without a hit in the top of the third, but Red Bay tied the game in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI single by Cox.
"We only got five hits off [Gardner], but we got two in the fourth and two in the seventh," Hastings said. "We were able to string ours together."
In the first game of the doubleheader, Nathan Hopkins went 3-for-3 with five RBIs to back up a strong pitching performance by Brandon Brown as Red Bay won in five innings.
Brown (1-0) allowed just one run on four hits in a complete game, striking out four.
Hopkins had a two-run single in a three-run second inning by the Tigers, and he later added a three-run double in the fourth.
Dillon Massey finished with three RBIs, including a two-run single to key a five-run third inning.
Cox had an RBI double, and Morgan Stanfield and Stephen Prestage each drove in a run.
Brown and Miller each had one hit.
Will Washington had an RBI double for Belgreen.