WEB CAST.
The Varsity Baseball team returned to action on Tuesday night for the endowment game as they traveled to Millbrook High School to tangle with the Wildcats, a team that beat Garner twice last season. Once in the regular season then, Millbrook ended Garner's season in the second round of the State Playoffs with a 6-4 win last season. Well, the Trojans avenged that loss on Tuesday as they held on to defeat Millbrook 9-6 behind an outstanding team effort.
Garner scored in the opening frame as Jesse Fisher walked to begin the ball game and later advanced to second on a walk to Alec Hulmes, Fisher then stole third putting himself in scoring position and he later came into score as Colin Perry bounced out to short, but did get the job done for his fifth RBI of the season.
The Trojans opening the game up in the third as the first three hitters of the inning got on base. Jared Newbry led off the inning with a double to right center, but on the play, the Wildcat right fielder had issues fielding the ball allowing Newbry to advance to third. Following back to back walks to Jesse Fisher and Garner starting pitcher Alec Hulmes, the bases were loaded for the hottest Trojan hiter, CJ Schmitt.
With the count even at two balls, two strikes, Schimtt un-loaded on the offering from Eric Honeycutt and hit a towering Grand Slam to right center field for his sixth home run of the season and his 17th RBI of the year and after three, Garner was up 5-0.
But, give Millbrook credit, the did not quit as the Wildcats scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to cut the lead to 5-3 after four complete.
That score was still the same as Garner came up in the top of the seventh looking for some insurance and they got it. Alec Hulmes led off the inning with a double off the left field wall. Following Hulmes, Millbrook elected to intentionally walk CJ Schmitt (who was 2-3 on the night). After the intentional pass, Colin Perry laid down a bunt that no one from Millbrook had a play on and the bases were loaded with no outs.
Brett Walters was the next Trojan to hit and with the infield drawn in, Walters laced a single over the short stops head as two runs came into score. Three batters later, Garner had two outs but was not done scoring as Jared Newbry singled to drive in a pair and give Garner a 9-3 win.
The Wildcats made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh as four runs crossed the plate, before the Trojans closed the deal with the winning run at the plate.
With the win, Garner is now on a four game winning streak and sits at 6-8 overall and will be back in action a week from tonight when they return to Greater Neuse River Conference play as they travel to Harnett Central for a 7:00 first pitch.
Winning Pitcher: Alec Hulmes (2-0) - 3 1/3 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
Losing Pitcher: Eric Honeycutt (0-2) - 3 IP, 3 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Leading Garner Hitters: Hulmes 1-2, 2B, 2 BB, Schmitt: 2-3, HR (5), 1B, BB, 4 RBI, Newbry: 3-4, 2B, 2 1B, 2 RBI
GAR 9 12 3
MBK 6 9 1
