Thursday night was senior night at Silverdale Baptist Academy and the Seahawks' lone senior, Evan Padgett, got the start on the mound. Padgett’s mother threw out the game’s honorary first pitch and tossed a strike. Her son then mimicked her effort to start the game..
Padgett quickly dispatched the first three batters in Lookout Valley’s lineup, getting two to pop out and coaxing an easy out at first on the third. During their first at bat of the night the Seahawks were more effective than their opponents, picking up three hits and four runs on Yellow Jackets’ starter Christian Chandler.
Lookout Valley had a little more success against Padgett in the second inning as the first two batters drew bases on balls before third batter Brayden Pruitt hit a single into center field, pushing a run across. The bases were loaded after Mason Randolph was hit by a pitch, but with the tying run on first the Yellow Jackets were unable to capitalize, leaving three men on in the top of the second.
Silverdale then made Lookout Valley pay with their second four run inning in a row. Lead-off hitter Turner Junkins doubled but beyond that most of the rest of Lookout Valley’s wounds were self-inflicted, as batters hit by a pitch and walks began to pile up, the runner on third base was forced home .
Bryson Cline took over pitching duties in the top of the third and forced the Yellow Jackets into another top of the order three and out. Cline was helped defensively by the man he had replaced on the mound. Padgett, now in the outfield, made the catch of the day by diving head first at full speed to snag a shallow pop-up hit to center.
In the bottom of the third inning, with their team already up 8-1 and a runner on first base, Brett Rogers and Sebastian Hanks, the number three and four batters in Silverdale’s lineup, stepped up to the plate.
Rogers settled into the batter’s box and after seeing a few pitches from new Lookout Valley pitcher Casey Durham, he picked one to swing at. He ripped a line drive right over the centerfield fence. The ball never traveled any higher than 20 feet in the air, but it had enough velocity to produce two more runs for Silverdale.
With the bases empty Hanks stepped into the batter’s box. After looking over a few pitches he turned on one and sent it soaring over the left fielder’s head and over the fence. With those back to back home runs Silverdale had a substantial 11-1 lead, but the inning wasn’t over yet.
Four batters later Bryson Cline hit a triple, bringing three runs home. Shortly after that Padgett ripped a single to bring Cline home. By the end of the third inning Silverdale was up 14-1 and had enough runs to invoke the 10-run rule, if they could carry the lead into the fifth inning..
Lookout Valley picked up two more hits in the fourth inning, but was unable to generate any runs.
Jaxon Ervin took the mound for the Seahawks in the fifth inning and and got Lookout Valley to go three up, three down to end the game..
Lookout Valley 010 00 – 1 3 1
Silverdale 446 0x– 14 11 2
Chandler, Durham (2) and Collins; Padgett, Cline (2), Ervin (5) and Reagan