It wasn’t that long ago that the busy week of baseball scheduled for last week was causing a bit of anxiety among the Parry McCluer High School ranks. The Blues can now breathe a little bit easier.
Playing four games in a span of just five days, including three straight during the middle portion of the week, the Blues emerged with their best stretch of the season, winning three of the four contests to improve to 4-11 overall.
And PM won in a variety of ways. The Blues snapped a seven-game losing streak by surviving a slugfest at home against Eastern Montgomery, 11-6, on Tuesday of last week; won a pitchers’ duel, 1-0, the next day at Nelson County; and hurled a no-hitter in a 4-1 victory at Craig County on Thursday. The only blemish on the slate was a home loss to rival Rockbridge County on Saturday. (See separate story).
“If you told me we’d be 3-1 after this stretch, I’d take it all day,” said PM head coach Bryan Loy, noting that his team went winless during a similar stretch to start the season. “I’d definitely say we’ve grown.”
Struggling offensively for much of the season, the Blues had no problems early in the game against Eastern Montgomery (10-3-1 overall, 4-3 district) putting up seven runs in the first inning. PM batted around in the first, with the first five batters reaching base and coming around to score. Kyler Ramsey drove in one run with a double, and Brayden Holdren drove in another with a triple. Michael Fleming also drove in two runs in the frame with his RBI single.
The Mustangs did not go quietly, however. Cutting the PM lead to 8-6 after their half of the sixth inning. But in the bottom of the frame, the Blues struck big again. Curtis King and Braedyn Houck singled with one out, and both scored on Ramsey’s base hit. Lane Luckton singled to plate Ramsey to give the Blues the final margin of victory.
Eight of the nine players in the PM starting lineup recorded hits in the contest, paced by Houck, Kyler Ramsey, Holdren, Peyton Ramsey and Curtis King, who all recorded two hits for the Blues. Kyer Ramsey picked up three RBIs in the game, while Holdren and Fleming drove in two apiece.
Peyton Ramsey picked up the win on the mound, going six innings and giving up six runs, only one earned, on seven hits while striking out seven.
With the win, the Blues avenged a 9-6 loss to the Mustangs on April 8 in Elliston.
PM 1, NC 0
The Blues didn’t pile up the runs last Wednesday, tallying one in the first when Peyton Ramsey doubled to chase home Kyler Ramsey. But that was more than enough as Holdren came up on the winning end of a pitchers; duel against Nelson County’s Caden Poindexter.
Poindexter went the distance on the mound for the Governors (6-6), giving up just the one run on five hits and striking out seven. Holdren matched him pitch for pitch as he allowed only four hits and struck out 10 in his 6.2 innings of work.
“[Holdren] really kept them off balance,” said Loy. “He has good stuff, but his mental composure and toughness really helped him. I thought he threw really well, and we played good defense behind him.”
Holdren did have to work out of a couple of jams. In the third, Nelson County got a runner to third with one out, but Holdren struck out the next two batters. In the fourth, the Governors had runners at second and third with one away, but again Holdren struck out the next two batters. Nelson County put a runner in scoring position again in the sixth, but Holdren induced an easy ground ball to first to end that threat.
Nelson had one last gasp, touching Holdren for a double in the bottom of the seventh inning. But Colby Camden came to the mound to record the final two outs and end the threat.
PM 4, CC 1
Craig County never threatened last Thursday in New Castle as PM’s Houck tossed his second career no-hitter. The only blemishes on the senior’s pitching line were a hit batsman and an unearned run that tied the game briefly early. Houck finished the gem with 17 strikeouts, fanning the side three times and recording at least two strikeouts in every inning.
With the win, the Blues improved to 3-5 in the Pioneer District.
“It was great for him to have a game like that,” said Loy. “Things have gone unluckily for him [this season], so it was great for him.”
The Blues struck first when Luckton’s sacrifice fly chased Houck to the plate. After the Rockets (0-11, 0-7) tied the game with the unearned run in the fourth, PM responded in the fifth, with Houck’s RBI single plating Camden. The Blues put the game out of reach with two unearned runs in the sixth.
Coming off the busy week, PM plays just once this week. The Blues were scheduled to travel to district rival Bath County yesterday and will play a nondistrict game on Monday at Altavista before concluding the regular season at home against Craig County next Thursday, May 16, with both games starting at 5 p.m. Before the game against Craig, PM will honor its four seniors: Holdren, Houck, Peyton Ramsey and Brylen Wade.
