Bulldogs get six runs off extra-base hits.
The Rolla High School baseball team used a slew of extra-base hits on Tuesday to pull out a victory over the pesky St. James Tigers.
The RHS Bulldogs drove in a total of six runs with extra-base hits - including their first home run at home in 2014 - and went on to knock off St. James 9-4 in non-conference play Tuesday on FCNB Field at the Bray Sports Complex.
Rolla, winners of four of its last five games, improves to 14-9. The St. James Tigers fall to 8-13.
RHS grabbed the lead for keeps early on, scoring a solo run in the bottom of the first inning when senior Bryan Peach reached on a fielder’s choice and later scored on a wild pitch.
The Bulldogs made it 4-0 with three more runs in the second. Junior Brad Lohr singled ahead of an RBI triple by junior Andy Satulla. Peach plated Satulla with an RBI double and junior Collin Nash drove in a run on a ball that when for an error.
St. James cut its deficit in half in the top of the fifth as, with two outs, freshman Evan Grayson reached base on an error and went to third on senior Jesse Hays’ double. Both runners scored on a double by senior Nathan Strait.
However, the Bulldogs regained their four-run cushion in the bottom of the fifth, as junior Cameron Clayton singled and Lohr was hit by a pitch ahead of a two-run double from senior Alex Remillard.
RHS made it 9-2 with three runs in the sixth. Peach singled ahead of a two-run home run by senior Seth Stevens. Senior Matt Claypool then walked, advanced on junior Jake Stephens’ single and scored on Clayton’s single.
The Tigers ended the scoring with a pair of runs in the seventh, as senior Justin Ray doubled, Grayson had an RBI single and Grayson later scored on an error.
Junior lefty Sean Etherton was the starting and winning pitcher for Rolla, getting relief help from junior Dalton Turner. Senior Zach Dean was the starter and loser for the Tigers, working five innings before senior Cody Miller finished up in the sixth.
Clayton was 3-for-4 with a double and run scored for RHS while Peach had two hits and three runs scored. Rolla outhit St. James 10-9.
Grayson, Hays, Strait and Ray all had two hits for the Tigers.
“When we get solid pitching and play defense we have success,” said RHS head coach Karl Odenwald. “Seems like the last few weeks we’ve had that. Hopefully that will continue.”
Rolla won the junior varsity game 8-0. Sophomore Drake Davis was the winning jayvee pitcher for Rolla while sophomore Brett Hoffman and freshman Trey Sinnott led the hitting attack.
The Bulldogs are scheduled to play an Ozark Conference game Friday, hosting Parkview on FCNB Field, starting at 4:30 p.m.