With two important conference games on the horizon this week, Bethel Academy found itself caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place Monday at Sutton Field.
Visiting Parrott Academy made sure the Trojans stayed there.
The Patriots cranked out 14 hits, took advantage of 13 walks and four hit batsman, and cruised to a mercy-rule shortened 24-1 non-conference victory that could have been worse.
Bethel used four hurlers, three of whom had never before pitched at the varsity level.
“I’m not sure how much it would have mattered today, but we didn’t use any of our top four pitchers,” Trojans coach Kenny Sutton said. “Parrott has a great team and they hit the ball really hard, but we had to look ahead to the conference games the rest of the week.”
APA (3-0) made short work of the Trojans, sending 11 batters to the plate in a seven-run first inning. The second frame was even worse. Twenty-two Patriots traipsed to the plate in the inning and 16 of them scored.
The first two innings featured 11 Parrott hits and three errors, 12 walks, and three hit batters by Bethel pitchers.
“We’ve hit the ball well all season,” said Parrott coach Tyler Smith, whose team has outscored its first three opponents 53-6. “Because of the weather we really haven’t had a lot of field time. All we’ve done is take batting practice in the cage.”
Freshman Zacchaeaus Rasberry stroked five hits in six trips and also drove in five runs for the Patriots. John Tyner added three hits and two RBIs while Charlie King, Collis Lowe, Luke Apperson, Zack Hill, Alex Henderson and Henry Piner all knocked in a pair of runs apiece.
Bethel managed just two hits against APA pitchers Cameron Langston and Michael Jordan, a first-inning double by Ben Potter, and a run-scoring single from eighth-grader Daniel Daugherty.
“It wasn’t pretty but we didn’t lose a conference championship or a state title today,” Sutton said. “It was just a baseball game. We’ll get back to work tomorrow and we’ll be fine.”
The Patriots host Cary Christian today while the Trojans (1-2) open NCCSA play when they travel to Wilson Christian.
Parrott 7(16)0 01—24 14 1
Bethel 010 00—1 2 5
Langston, Jordan (3) and Howard; Croom, Daugherty (1), Edwards (2), Conyers (2), Hardison (4) and Hardison, Daugherty (4). W—Langston. L—Croom.