Jordyn Adams ignites the Bengals with a solo blast over the left-field fence in the third. (Photo/Kristy Kimball Massey)
BLYTHEWOOD (March 23, 2016) – Spring Valley couldn’t make a dent against the Blythewood baseball team Tuesday night.
Justin Greider scattered six hits, and the Blythewood lineup kept the hits coming in an 8-0 shutout of the Vikings.
“We’ve been hitting the ball pretty good at the top of our lineup all year long,” Bengals head coach Barry Mizzell said. “But the whole story of the game to me was Justin Greider on the mound. He was really, really good. He pounded the zone, pitched hard in the zone. He competes hard, he’s a guy you’d like to go to battle with.”
Greider didn’t walk a single batter and struck out eight in a complete-game performance.
Meanwhile, the Bengals hammered Spring Valley starter Mark Duroux and reliever Matt Ross, who came on to start the fifth inning. Blythewood (5-4 overall, 2-1 Region 4-4A) cranked out 15 hits on the night, four of them for extra bases.
After a scoreless first couple of innings, Jordyn Adams got Blythewood started in the bottom of the third going with a 1-out solo home run over the left-field fence.
Aiden Massey then doubled, Todd Mattox singled, and designated hitter Toby Robson drove in both runners with a line drive that knocked Duroux’s glove off his hand and made it in to centerfield for a 2-run single. Robson made it to second on the play at the plate, then scored on Greider’s base hit up the middle.
Greider tried to go for second on the throw to the plate to try and get Robson. Spring Valley catcher Brody Bouknight was late on tagging Robson, but he fired to second baseman Hayden Goff to get Greider hung up going to second.
Collin Miller hit a two-out single to keep the hits coming, but Ryan Bland popped out to end the inning with Blythewood up 4-0.
The Bengals got another run in the fourth when Chris Brown doubled and later came home on Massey’s 2-out single. Mattox doubled in the next at-bat, but Robson flied out to centerfield to strand Mattox and Massey.
Not that stranding baserunners mattered against the Vikings, who couldn’t get a runner at third in their turn at bat.
With Ross on the mound in the sixth, Blythewood picked up three more runs.
Brown led off the inning with an infield single and after Jacob Davis struck out, Adams reached on an error.
Both Brown and Adams came home on Massey’s second double of the game. Mattox then singled. After Thomas Murphy struck out, Massey scored on Greider’s 2-out single to right to close out the scoring. Miller popped out to retire the side.
Spring Valley got two hits in the top of the seventh, but went down without getting the runners across.
Massey and Mattox both went 3-for-4. Greider and Brown had two hits apiece.
“We got a little production at the bottom and our guys at the top continued to have good at-bats,” Mizzell said. “Jordan broke the ice with the home run, and Aiden Massey’s continuing to hit the ball well, Todd Mattox, Toby Robson, we’ve got a whole bunch of guys who can hit.”
SVHS: 0-0-0 0-0-0 0 – 0-6-2
BHS: 0-0-4 1-0-3 x – 8-15-1
S: Mark Duroux (L), Matt Ross (5), and Brody Bouknight. B: Justin Greider (W), and Ryan Bland. 2B – S: Ross. B: Aiden Massey (2), Chris Brown. HR – Jordyn Adams. LOB – S 7. B 8.