VHS Over Dodge County
The Vidalia Indians rolled into Eastman Wednesday, April 12, to play the Dodge County Indians. Vidalia had their best offensive game of the season as they pounded out 16 hits to take Dodge County by a 15-4 score in five innings. The win puts the Vidalia Indians at 1311-1 on the season and 6-5 in Region play.
Vidalia used four pitchers in the game as they tuned up for next week. Veer Patel started for Vidalia and pitched two scoreless innings allowing two hits and getting two strikeouts. Dawson Stewart pitched one inning allowing four runs on four hits while getting one strikeout. However, Stewart did pick up the win as Vidalia rallied for five runs in the 4th inning erasing a 4-3 deficit. Tucker Mc-Donald and Walker Moncus pitched a scoreless 4th and 5th inning respectively continued from page
to close out the win. For the first time this year all the Indian starters had at least one hit in the game. Cason Banks led the offense getting on base in all four at bats, including a two run bomb and scoring three runs. Kaleb Bennett had three hits and scored three runs as well. Moncus, Patel, Ricks and Moye each had two hits.
In the 1st inning Banks led off with a walk and stole second. With one out Bennett doubled to right center scoring Banks. With two outs Lowe singled home Bennett to give Vidalia a 2-0 start. In the bottom half Dodge County got a one out double but Patel got a strike out, and then when the next batter singled to left, the runner was thrown out at the plate to leave the score at 2-0 Vidalia after one complete.
In the 2nd inning Vidalia got another run. Morgan Moye led off with a double and Conner Whited moved him to third with a sacrifice bunt. Stewart followed with an RBI single. When the Dodge County Indians went down 1-2-3 in the bottom half, the Vidalia Indians were ahead 3-0 after two complete.
Vidalia couldn't get anything going in the top of the 3rd inning, going scoreless for the only inning of the game. However, Dodge County took advantage of an error, a wild pitch on a strikeout and four singles to plate four runs and take a 4-3 lead after three complete innings.
That deficit was quickly erased in the top of the 4th inning as Vidalia scored five more times to take an 8-4 lead. Whited led the inning off with a single. After the next batter struck out, Banks pounded a two run bomb to right field. Moncus, Bennett and Patel all singled for the third run of the inning. Bennett and Patel both scored on wild pitches, giving Vidalia an 8-4 lead. McDonald made that lead stand up in the bottom half as he struck out the side.
Vidalia came right back in the top of the 5th inning to score seven more runs to put the game out of reach. Ty Carter reached on an error to start the inning, Banks was hit by a pitch, and Moncus followed with an infield hit to load the bases with no outs. Bennett singled in one run, and Patel drew a bases loaded walk to plate another. Moncus and Bennett scored on the same wild pitch. Ricks singled, putting men on 1st and 3rd with Moye following with an RBI single of his own, moving to second as the outfielder mishandled to ball. Andrew Norfleet came on to pinch hit and singled on the first pitch he saw driving both runners home. Moncus pitched a scoreless bottom of the 5th to close out the 15-4 win.
The Indians have four Region games remaining, which are all scheduled to be played this week. The Indians were at Appling County on Monday to kick off the three-game series, and Appling was in Vidalia on Tuesday for senior night for the Indians with both of those games after presstime. VHS will return to Baxley on Wednesday at 6:00 p.m. to wrap up the series. Vidalia will then be at Pierce County on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. to finish off the regular season with that game to determine their status for Round 1 of the State Playoffs.
