With ace pitcher Jack Nedrow sidelined with an injury, Ty Cobb (3-0) and Frankie Volkers turned in solid mound performances while Cam Suto had one of his best days at the plate in helping Lee to a 13-3 victory.
The 15th-ranked Flames improved to 12-4 in GSC play and 23-9 overall with the win at Charger Park on Friday afternoon. The University of Alabama in Huntsville dropped to 4-12, 16-16. The three-game series will continue on Saturday with the first game of the doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m.
EDT.
Cobb worked the first five innings, allowing seven hits and two earned runs. Volkers pitched the final three innings. He gave up three hits and one earned run, striking out four.
Suto finished the afternoon with two singles, a double and a triple. He scored twice and drove in three runs. It was his one-base hit in the top of the eighth inning that produced Lee’s 13th run and helped run-rule the Chargers.
The Flames wasted no time in jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the second inning. They added a solo run in the third, two runs in the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth innings to seal the victory.
Dylan Standifer drilled his team-leading 10th homerun of the year as the Flames pounded out six extra-base hits in their 13-hit attack. Standifer finished the day with three RBI and scored twice.
Josiah Miller joined Suto with a triple while Brandon Daniels and JJ Williams had two-base hits. Miller added a single to his two-hit day. He also scored three times. Riley Black had a pair of hits, a RBI and scored twice. Matthew Batts joined the RBI parade without a hit (adding two) while Brantley Cutler had a RBI hit and Luke Collier banged out a one-base knock and crossed home plate a couple of times.
The Lee hitters also took advantage of nine walks issued by five UAH pitchers. Jacob Peters (3-4) was the starting and losing Charger hurler. In five innings, he allowed 10 hits and nine earned runs.
Will Noles and Hunter Tillman were the only Chargers with two hits. Noles had a RBI and JC Wilburn homered for the other UAH runs. All totaled, the Chargers did collect 10 hits but Lee pitchers only gave up two walks while hitting two UAH hitters.
Coach Mark Brew’s thoughts:
“I was really proud of our team’s response to not having Jack on the mound to start the weekend. Ty and Frankie did a tremendous job limiting one of the top offenses in the conference.
“Our offense had some huge two-out hits early to grab the lead and we were able to continue to tack on runs throughout the game.
“Tomorrow is a different day and we need to come out ready to go from opening pitch.”