Baseball Broncos split with Eagles

By ROB NUNLEY / Sports Editor for the Southern Standard (McMinnville, Tenn.)

Boyd’s Dillon Childers didn’t allow a hit during the first game of Boyd’s doubleheader with Van Buren County Monday. (Rob Nunley photo)

Boyd Christian School’s baseball team opened its 2004 season with a victory Monday afternoon, only to see Van Buren County salvage a doubleheader sweep at the Edley Newman Field.

Dillon Childers tossed a no-hitter and scored both runs as he led the Broncos to a 2-1 victory in Monday’s opener, but the Eagles rallied from an early deficit to split the twin bill with an 11-6 win in the nightcap.

Childers singled to start the Boyd half of the first inning, and promptly took second on a wild pitch before stealing third and scoring on another wild pitch to Casey Hertwig.

Van Buren County’s Grant Mooneyham reached on an error in the second, and scored on a wild pitch to Charles Menefee for the Eagles’ only run of the game.

Mooneyham was one of only two Eagles to reach base in the game, as a strong pitching performance from Childers shut Van Buren County down for the rest of the contest.

Although the Eagles loaded the bases with no one out in the frame, Childers got out of the jam with only one run, as he made a diving catch of a Menefee pop-up, benefited from a Brooks Palmer-to-Dustin Curtis pickoff at third base, and forced Wesley Martin to ground back to the mound for the third out.

In the bottom of the third Childers once again led off with a single, then stole second and was awarded third after an interference call. He came in to score the game-winning run on a wild pitch to Adam White.

The Bronco hurler helped Boyd’s narrow lead stand up, as he fanned five of the last eight batters he faced, and finished with eight strikeouts on the night.

In the second game, Boyd jumped out to an early lead with three runs in the first and another in the second. But Van Buren sent 12 men to the plate in its half of the third, scoring seven runs on six hits, and added four more runs in the fourth inning.

Boyd posted a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth, but went down in order in the fifth, allowing the Eagles to escape with the victory.

Childers had a pair of hits and scored three runs in the second game, while White posted a double and a run. Palmer and David Watson also scored in the losing effort.

On the hill, Palmer worked into the third inning, before being relieved by White and Hertwig.

The Broncos are scheduled to face Watertown Thursday for a road doubleheader. The first game is set for 4 p.m.