Maplesville sweeps Loachapoka in commanding fashion
Published 7:22 pm Saturday, April 23, 2016
Drew Smith (No. 8) of Maplesville is greeted at home plate by a joyous dugout following a grand slam home run during Game 2 of a first-round series against Loachapoka on Saturday. (Photo by Anthony Richards)
Maplesville played near perfect baseball and opened the postseason with back-to-back shutout victories over Loachapoka.
The Red Devils set the tone early on with a 25-0 Game 1 win, as Devan Wallace finished a perfect 5-for-5 at the place with four standup doubles.
“We took some good approaches at the plate today,” Maplesville head coach Brandon Shanks said. “Any kind of spark like that carries over to the entire team.”
Alex Smith started Game 1 and pitched three innings of precision baseball on the mound.
The momentum carried over into Game 2 as Maplesville’s lineup wasted no time and established a 6-0 lead after the first inning.
Another double by Devan Wallace and a two-run home run by Trevor Wallace fueled the first inning success for the Red Devils.
Brent Schoener consistently reached base and proved a valuable contributor from the leadoff spot in the order.
“My teammates always tell me that I am the main spark,” Schoener said. “We seemed to be clicking pretty good today.”
Maplesville batted around in the second inning before the first out was recorded.
The Red Devils went on to score 18 runs in the second and showcased their depth time and again.
Devan Wallace hustled home for a two-run inside-the-park home run and later on tripled to drive in another run during the inning.
Drew Smith put an exclamation point on the series with a grand slam home run that cleared the bases and increased the lead 21-0.
“He threw me two balls, so I was anxious for that good pitch,” Smith said. “I just flexed up and it felt good coming of the bat.”
Due to the lopsided scores, Shanks was able to give his reserves valuable postseason experience.
Trevor Wallace pitched three innings and did not allow a hit during that time.
John Schoener provided relief for the final two innings and secured a series shutout for the Maplesville pitching staff.
Next up for the Red Devils is a second-round matchup and another best-of-three series against the winner of Verbena and Billingsley.
Maplesville will host if Billingsley wins and travel if Verbena wins.
