Following a loss to powerhouse Lone Grove to begin the week, the Kingston baseball team bounced back to snap a three-game losing skid with a trio of impressive victories over small school state contenders.
The Redskins edged Calera, 5-4, blasted Byng, 102, and then toppled Rattan by a 5-1 count before returning to District 3A-5 action this week with four critical league tests, including a Friday doubleheader with visiting Valliant.
An eight-run first inning by Lone Grove proved to be too much of a hole for Kingston to recover from in a 12-6 loss to the Longhorns.
Coach Darron Henson’s squad went down swinging however as three of their six hits in the contest went for extra bases, including home runs by Blane Henry and Ewan Weaver along with a ReidPattersondouble.Henry drove in three as well.
The Redskins erased a 4-1 deficit to stop Calera in the first triumph of the week as they plated three runs in the fifth and a final tally in the bottom of the sixth for what provedtobethegamewinner.
Henry and Patterson had hits in the big fifth inning which also included two Calera errors and a pair of walks. Jaksyn Martin walked, stole second and eventually came around to score on Henry’s single to leftfield to grab the lead for good.
That helped his cause as well as Henry notched the pitching victory by scattering seven hits over six frames, adding one strikeout and one walk. Brock Rumer came on for a scoreless frame of relief to pick up the save.
Byng was a sensational performance by the Redskins against the fall state champs astheyscored10unanswered runs after allowing the Pirates a 1-0 first inning lead.
Kingston scored twice in the second frame, making the most of only one hit on an RBI infield single by Rumer. A six-runthirdinningexplosion was fueled by a Byng error and three passes while Ty Jones, Slyde Hill, Rumer and Henry also strung together a flurry of singles.
That was plenty of run support for Rumer on the mound as he went the distance, yielding six hits and a pair of runs with four strikeouts and a walk. Rumer, Henry and Hill all had two hits.
Facing Rattan, it was Lander Burkhalter that provided the pitching gem, allowingjustonerunonseven hits with three strikeouts over six strong stanzas.
Kingston broke things open offensively with three tallied in the fourth inning sparked by singles from Henry, Weaver and Jones. Theytackedontwoadditional runsinthefifthasBurkhalter and Patterson added hits.
Weaver and Patterson each posted a pair of hits.