After burning through four pitching arms in Tuesday’s 16-12 slugfest victory over Middlesex Post 241, Williamsburg Post 39 Coach Tom Richardson had “no clue” who he was going to throw against Poquoson Post 273 on Thursday night.
It took a reassuring text message a few hours before game-time from Matt Smith saying he was good to go before Richardson decided to give the nod to the rising William & Mary sophomore.
Smith and Kent Klyman, who came on in relief to pitch four scoreless innings, were dominant.
Not to take anything away from Smith, who struck out six batters and gave up one run over three innings, or Klyman, but the way Post 39’s offense was stroking the ball would have taken lots of the pressure off whoever took the mound Thursday.
Post 39 put seven runs on the board during the first two innings, which set the table for an 11-1 victory — the club’s ninth in a row as they improved to 9-0 and moved two wins away from locking up the regular season District 3 crown.
“It’s so much easier to play with a lead,” Richardson said after the game. “That definitely help the pitching out a think; Matt Smith and Kent [Klyman] could just go out there and throw with no pressure.”
By the time Smith threw his first pitch, he did so with a 4-0 lead after Post 39 batted around for four runs in the bottom of the first inning.
After Austin Carter lined out to left to start the inning, Post 39 recorded six base hits in a row.
Liam Lowery, who finished 4-4 with four singles and scored three runs, drove in the first run after sending a shot off the top of the fence in right field that plated Tyler Klinedinst, who singled to start the rally.
Michael Brumfield singled in another run with Post 39’s fifth consecutive base knock before Griffin Colorado drove in the fourth run with a sacrifice fly to left.
Post 39 padded its lead to 7-0 with three more runs in the bottom of the second.
Solomon McCray highlighted the frame with a two-run homer he tucked just inside the foul pole down the left-field line. Thomas Richardson later drove in Lowery with a sac fly for the third run of the inning.
Matt Smith gave up his only run in the top of the third after Ben Phifer, Trevor Kelly and P.J. Jackson each singled. Jackson provided the RBI after lacing one up the middle that scored Phifer. Smith would get out of the two-on, two-out jam by striking out the next two batters in order.
Klyman came on with a 7-1 lead and allowed two runners on base during each of his first three innings of work, but, like Smith, had his strikeout pitch working which helped him avoid trouble.
He also got some stellar defensive play behind him. After allowing a leadoff single in the top of the sixth, Chris Leavey drilled up ball up the middle that second baseman Jake Countiss ran down and back-handed before flipping to Mikey Anerton standing on the bag just in time to get the runner.
A Tyler Klinedinst sacrifice the inning before gave Post 39 a 10-1 lead. After Klyman breezed through the top of the seven retiring the side in order, Countiss singled to left with two outs to drive in Griffin Colorado to end the game early via the 10-run mercy rule.
