East Carolina signee Bradley Wilson delivers for Western.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Triton split varsity diamond contests with visiting Harnett County and Tri-County Six 3-A Conference rival Western Harnett on Wednesday. Triton took the softball game while Western won in baseball.
Big bats powered Triton to a 24-0 rout in five innings over Western on the softball field.
“I told the girls before the game tonight, ‘I want this to be a statement game,’” said Triton softball coach Mark Whitman. “I wanted to hit the ball tonight and I wanted to make a statement going into next week. I wanted the girls hitting tonight and that’s the way we can hit the ball against anybody we play.”
“They swing the bats well and they’ve got a good program,” said Western Harnett softball coach Stephen Hales. “Mark’s a good coach. They’re a good team and they hit the ball well, 1-9, and have got a good pitcher. They’re going to be tough throughout the year. We’re young, so I’m just going to keep coaching them and see what happens throughout the year.”
Sophomore Gracyn Slaughter pitched the complete game for the Hawks (8-2, 3-0 TCSC), yielding no runs on two hits and no walks, with three strikeouts.
Triton hit four home runs in the contest. Junior Brittany Ireland had two, including a grand slam, sophomore Kaila Cooney had a grand slam and freshman Reagan Bradham hit her first home run as a high school player.
“Brittany with two,” Whitman said. “I knew it was just a matter of her getting back in the groove. Kaila was due. And Reagan, it was just a matter of time for her to get one. She’d been hitting a lot off of the fence. I’m proud of her. She’s on a 10-game hitting streak now.”
All 12 players Triton had on the roster Wednesday reached base safely at least once and scored at least one run.
Slaughter had three hits, including a double, two RBIs and one run scored, Ireland had two hits, both home runs, seven RBIs and three runs scored, Cooney had two hits, a double and a home run, six RBIs and three runs scored and Bradham had two hits, a double and a home run, four RBIs and one run scored to lead Triton at the plate.
Alexis Howard had two hits, including a double, three RBIs and three runs scored. Mackenzie Reid had two hits, including a double, and one run scored. Tatiana Muniz had one hit, two RBIs and four runs scored. Tyler Grace Gamblin had one hit and three runs scored. Caroline Marshall had one hit and one run scored. Mary Kate Lucas had two runs scored. Mikaylee Flowers and Tristan Ennis scored one run apiece.
“One through nine, we hit the ball,” Whitman said.
Senior Shelby Duty and sophomore Olivia Jackson had one hit apiece for the Eagles (0-6, 0-3).
Triton scored two runs in the first inning, six in the second, three in the third and 12 in the fourth.
Both coaches were very displeased with the play that started the top of the fifth inning, as Slaughter and Cooney made a showboat play for an out on a routine ground ball.
“I wish they’d have shown a little more class,” Hales said. “Mark’s a good friend of mine and I know those girls are better coached than that.”
Whitman immediately called a timeout for a conference in the pitching circle to let the team know it was not to be tolerated.
“I wasn’t happy about that,” Whitman said. “That’s not me. That’s not Triton softball. That’s not the way I coach. I apologized to Stephen and I continue to apologize, because that was an embarrassment to me and this program. It was pretty, but you don’t do that. They apologized to the coaches. Both of them went and apologized to coach Hales, and I didn’t tell them to. I hope it doesn’t come back to haunt us. I’m proud of the way the girls played, but I’m upset for what happened. We just don’t do that. It’s just not us. That took a little of the thunder away for the way we play. We’ll have a good, hard practice tomorrow, to say the least.”
Karma was instant, as the next two batters, Duty and Jackson, hit back-to-back singles to end Slaughter’s perfect game bid. But a fielder’s choice force out at second and a ground ball to third ended the game.
“I probably upset her, but that’s the way it goes,” Whitman said. “She had a perfect game going until those last few at-bats. That’s what you deserve sometimes. When you give it, you’ve got to learn to take it.
Senior Bradley Wilson threw a two-hit shutout as Western Harnett took an 8-0 win over Triton in baseball.
“Another big win,” said Western Harnett baseball coach Dalton Hardee. “Wilson was good on the mound again tonight. They’re a tough team and we played very well, executed offensively. We struggled a little bit defensively, but made enough plays to win the game.”
Triton baseball coach Joey Miriello cited the Hawks’ plate approach as a major factor.
“We had a very poor approach at the plate tonight,” Miriello said. “We swung at way too many balls out of the zone. We allowed them to keep us off balance pretty much the entire game. We were taking pitches that we should be swinging at and swinging at pitches we should be taking. When we put the ball in play and put it on the ground, we got a couple of runners on, but those were few and far between.”
Wilson pitched the complete game for the Eagles (7-2, 2-1), giving up no runs on two hits and one walk, with 14 strikeouts.
“He’s been with us for three years now and he’s worked his tail off,” Hardee said. “He’s thrown very good this year. Even when he hasn’t had his best stuff, he’s battled on the mound and we’ve gotten good outings from him.”
Wilson also led the team offensively with two hits and four RBIs.
Noah Kessler had one hit, two RBIs and two runs scored. Trevor Deszo had a double, one RBI and one run scored. Dylan Patterson had one hit and one run scored. Collin Welch and Dustin Lund had one hit apiece. Pat Martin had one RBI. Connor Smith had two runs scored. Chase Holder and Jason Barnes scored one run apiece.
“There’s not a big fall-off to our bench from our starters,” Hardee said. “I had no problem putting guys in and we expect them to do the same thing our starters would do.”
Senior Colton Neighbors had both hits for the Hawks (5-4, 1-2).
Western Harnett’s baseball team to nonconference Terry Sanford (7-1) on Thursday. Triton travels to Western Harnett for baseball, softball and girls soccer on Friday.
“I thought that these two weeks (facing Midway and Southern Lee last week and Western Harnett this week) were going to be the toughest two weeks we were going to have all year,” Miriello said. “If we could possibly get through these two weeks with, a split would be great, but if we can get through these two weeks moving in the right direction and with some momentum going into the second part of the conference, I’ll be OK with it.”
Mary Kate Lucas of Triton makes a catch in right field.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Brittany Ireland of the Hawks connects for a grand slam.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Western shortstop Morgan Jackson flips to second for an out.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Reagan Bradham of Triton hits her first high school home run.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Western’s Shelby Duty spoils a bid for a perfect game.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Western catcher Jason Barnes throws to first for an out.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Dylan Patterson gets a hit for the Eagles on Wednesday night.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
Triton first baseman Christian Tyndall makes a catch for an out.
(Dunn Area Sports Photo/John Lucas)
