MINT HILL, NC – In Southwestern 4A Conference baseball games for the week of April 17, 2023, the Independence Patriots won a doubleheader over Rocky River and lost to the East Mecklenburg Eagles.
Tuesday’s Game
Game 1 Independence 20, Rocky River 1
Game 2 Independence 16, Rocky River 1
The first of Tuesday’s doubleheader played at Rocky River High School went only three innings before the Patriots took a 20-1 conference win.
Indy’s junior Mike Short picked up the win for the Patriots. In three full innings of work Short threw only 46 pitches.
In the second game the Patriots needed only two innings to take a 16-1 victory. Senior Cole Coats got the win throwing only 27 pitches in the two-inning victory.
Wednesday’s Game
Independence 10, East Mecklenburg 24
On Wednesday the Patriots traveled to East Mecklenburg for a slug fest conference game against the Eagles. After four and a half innings the East Mecklenburg Eagles recorded a 24-10 league win.In the top of the first inning Indy’s Cole Coates blasted a 300-foot two-run homer over the left wall. The home run scored Sam Merli from his double off the left center field wall. Nick Reddish reached on an infield hit to the shortstop. Frankie Jones Jr. singled to right field putting runners on the corners. After Jones stole second, Reddish and Jones scored on a passed ball giving the Patriots a 4-0 lead.
East Mecklenburg answered back in the bottom half of the inning by scoring six runs on five hits, three walks and one error to make the score 6-4 in favor of the Eagles.
Indy posted four more runs in the top of the second. Cooper Golden led off with a walk. Joe Reddish followed with an infield hit putting Indy runners on first and second. Cole Coates drew a walk to load the bases. Golden scored added Indy’s fifth run on a passed ball and Reddish moved up to third base. After aggravating the Eagles’ pitcher with large leads Coates finally stole second giving Indy runners on second and third. Garrett Lawrence walked to load the bases. With the bases loaded Nick Reddish hit a sacrifice fly to center scoring Joe Reddish and Cole Coates.With Lawrence on third, Frankie Jones, Jr. hit an infield single to score Lawrence and gave Indy an 8-6 lead after two full innings.
After holding the Patriots scoreless in the top of the third inning, the Eagles plated four runs on one hit and five walks to take a 10-8 lead.
In the top of the fourth inning, Nick Reddish led off with a single to right field. Frankie Jones, Jr. reached on an error putting two Indy runners on base. A wild pitch to first base on an East Meck pick-off play scored Reddish and Jones, Jr. to tie the score at ten.
In the bottom half of the fourth inning the Eagles’ bats came alive and the Patriots pitching just went away. The Eagles scored 14 runs on 6 hits and 11 walks to take a 24-10 conference victory.
Independence. 4 4 0 2 0 – 10
East Mecklenburg 6 0 4 14 X – 24
