Holly Springs baseball forces tie atop SWAC with win against Middle Creek
Fourteen scoreless innings later, Jake Isbell’s dominance over Middle Creek this season is now complete.
About five weeks removed from throwing a one-hitter against the Mustangs, the senior took the mound once again against Middle Creek and led the Golden Hawks to a 1-0 victory on Thursday.
With the win, N&O No. 1 Holly Springs has won 11 straight games and moves into a two-way tie with the Mustangs for first place in the SWAC.
“It’s just an amazing feeling playing for this team, man,” Isbell said.
Going the distance against No. 5 Middle Creek for the second time, Isbell did a stellar job of pitching to contact. He struck out only two batters, but Isbell forced many pop-outs and was able to get key outs at key times.
“He was able to pitch out of jams,” Holly Springs coach Rod Whitesell said. “I didn’t think he had his best stuff, but he made a pitch when he needed to.”
Holly Springs opened up the scoring in the first inning with an RBI single by junior first baseman Ethan Miles and as it would prove, that was the only run the Golden Hawks needed.
They said it
“There’s something to be said when you can pitch to contact and trust your defense and let them play and (Isbell) does that.” – Holly Springs coach Rod Whitesell.
Turning point
The Mustangs failed to get a run in with two outs and the bases loaded in the third inning. In total, Middle Creek left 10 runners on base.
Three to know
Jake Isbell, Holly Springs: The Coker College commit turned in a big-time performance in a crucial game.
Sammy Chapman, Middle Creek: After allowing three of the first four batters he faced to reach base, the University of Richmond signee settled down and didn’t allow a run to score after the first inning.
Patrick Wheeler, Holly Springs: The center fielder went 3-4 at the plate with three singles and scored the game’s only run in the first inning.
By the numbers
3: First inning singles by Holly Springs.
7: Strikeouts by Chapman.
2: Losses in a row for Middle Creek, marking the first time the Mustangs have lost consecutive games in 2016.
This story was originally published April 21, 2016 at 10:59 PM with the headline "Holly Springs baseball forces tie atop SWAC with win against Middle Creek."