Gallery by Tina Laney
Veteran Independence baseball head coach Scott Cuthbert knew before the season started that his team would experience some growing pains this year.
The biggest hurdle that the Patriots have been dealing with so far has been avoiding the big inning.
Monday night in an early season clash with county rival Shady Spring, the big inning stung the young men from Coal City once again.
Powered by singles from Brody Seabolt and Jacob Meadows, the Tigers scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning and held on for a 6-3 win.
Making the big inning even tougher to swallow for the Patriots was the fact that all four runs were scored with two outs.
A two-out double from Parker Brown appeared to be harmless until back-to-back walks set the stage for Seabolt who delivered a two-RBI single for a 4-0 lead.
“That has kind of been our Achilles heel throughout the year. In high school baseball, if you can limit the walks and errors, you are always going to have a chance,” Cuthbert said.
After Seabolt took second uncontested on the next pitch, Meadows rang up his third single in as many innings for the 6-0 advantage.
“They got the key hits and we struggled there for a little while,” Cuthbert said. “Anytime you face a really good pitcher like (Cam Manns), it is going to be like that.”
Little did anyone know at the time just how big the two key hits by Seabolt and Meadows would become later in the game.
“It was big because we will need those guys to step up. Brody got a big hit and scored two. Jake was 3-for-4 and he had two RBI right there,” Meadows said. “The other guys have to step up as well and have some help behind our pitcher, no matter who is throwing.”
Struggles with the bottom of the opposing batting order has been a scenario that has been a little too familiar for Cuthbert this year.
“I am not sure if it is relaxing or if it is loss of concentration sometimes,” Cuthbert said about pitchers facing the bottom part of the order. “If I remember right, there have been a few other games where that has been a problem for us. You can’t ever tell. They are still high school kids.”
While the home team was building the six run lead, Shady senior Cam Manns was his normal self mowing down batters with regularity.
Over the first five innings, Manns allowed just one hit and had struck out nine Patriots along the way.
However, just when the game seemed well in hand for the Tigers, Independence found a couple of key hits that led to two runs in the sixth.
After Cole Cunningham led off the sixth with a single, a pair of walks later loaded the bases with two outs. Centerfielder Zach Smith delivered a solid single to trim the lead to 6-2.
“We started out 6-0 and then we got complacent,” Meadows said. “All in all though, against a county rival, a win is a win, so you have to be happy.”
While the Tigers did eventually secure the win, it did not come without some excitement.
Independence increased the tension for the home crowd when it loaded the bases with two outs in front of James Williams. Williams responded by moving everyone up a base with an RBI-single to cut the lead to 6-3.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, the comeback bid ended when Shady reliever Tyler Reed fanned the final batter on three straight pitches for the final out.
Even though the Patriots were on the wrong side of the scoreboard, Cuthbert saw plenty that he liked Monday, including his team turning two double plays.
“There were a lot of positives. I thought we battled really good and we put the ball in play pretty decent,” Cuthbert said. “We played pretty good defensively again and the pitching has held up. It kept us in the ball game. We just need to get more consistent. That is the goal. We have a bunch of new kids. If we can get more consistent, who knows what will happen.”
The biggest positive for the Tigers was the fact that they have now secured two sectional wins in the early going.
“We have started out 2-0 in the section and we play Liberty tomorrow. Hopefully we can get that win,” Meadows said. “We need to win the games we are supposed to in order to get the sectionals played here at home. That is all we can ask for.”
While Shady Spring heads to Glen Daniel Tuesday, Independence will host Wyoming East at Joseph H. Goddard Field in Coal City.
