Big Seventh Inning Sends Biloxi to Win
D’IBERVILLE–The Biloxi Indians (2-1) won the opening game of the D’Iberville Classic, defeating the D’Iberville Warriors (0-3) 10-2 Tuesday night.
D’Iberville struck first when Tayler Hardy drew a lead off walk that became a run in the first inning. Biloxi answered in the second when an error allowed Ben Hurtado to tie the game.
Hardy scored the second run for D’Iberville after hitting a lead off single in the third. Jamere Griffin drove in Hardy with a ground ball to third. Biloxi would tie the game in the top of the fourth as the Indians turned a Jordan Skog double into a run when Hurtado brought him in with a single.
The Indians and Warriors remained tied at two after six innings. Garrett Landrum returned to pitch the seventh for D’Iberville, but he found trouble early. The Biloxi bats came to life, as the Indians batted around scoring eight runs.
Nick Wheelock got the inning started with a lead off triple. Cody Brown knocked him in with a single, and a Jordan Mata double drove in Brown. After Craig Wilson was hit by a pitch, Hawtin Buchanan brought in two runs with a single. Skog walked, and Hurtado plated him. Wheelock singled in his second at-bat of the inning, and Brown drove in both Hurtado and Wheelock to score the final runs for the Indians.
Indians’ coach Kevin Burdine felt that his team hit the ball well all night, but the Warriors were in the right place early in the game to make plays. “I thought we swung the bats pretty well,” said Burdine. “Their defense was well positioned, and they made plays on the balls we hit well early in the game.”
Brown led Biloxi with three RBIs.
Burdine was also impressed with the efforts of his pitchers. “It was the first outing of the year for Mata, and I thought he pitched well,” Burdine said. “Both Mata and (T.J.) Andrews did an outstanding job. I was real satisfied with our pitching tonight.”
Mata pitched five innings for the Indians, giving up two runs, one earned, and struck out seven. T.J. Andrews retired all six batters he faced to pick up the win for Biloxi. Landrum pitched six innings for the Warriors. He gave up five runs, four earned, and was charged with the loss.
