Baldwyn leads Urchins past St. Joe
May 15—ELLISTOWN — Rudy Baldwyn had himself a night at the plate as well as turning in a pretty solid pitching performance as East Union defeated St. Joe 13-3 in five innings to sweep their series 2-0.
Baldwyn went the distance in the run-rule win, tossing a 3-hitter with seven strikeouts while blasting a 3-run homer in the first and going 2 for 2 with four RBI.
"I was looking for a pitch that I could get out there and maybe get us ahead early after not doing so well in the first inning," Baldwyn said. "I got a pitch a little up and drove it over. It felt good coming off the bat."
East Union now advances to the 2A North Championship series to face the winner of Bruce/Pisgah next week.
St. Joe scored a couple of run in the top of the first, but Baldwyn put the Urchins in front for good with his 3-run homer in the bottom of the frame.
Chris Clayton drove in another run with his RBI double for the 4-2 lead. Clayton had a huge night at the plate as he went 2 for 3 with four RBI.
Ben Basil hit a laser shot for a 2-run home run in the third inning to up the lead to 7-3. He finished with three RBIs on the night.
East Union scored six runs in the fourth inning as Clayton demolished a pitch for a 3-run double and the Urchins extended the lead to 13-3.
Extra Bases
Big Inning: The first inning got the Urchins rolling as Baldwyn barreled up a pitch and sent it into the trees over the power alley in left for a 3-run homer. Chris Clayton followed with a RBI double for the 4-2 lead.
Big Stat: Baldwyn went 2 for 2 with 4 RBI including a home run while pitching five complete innings, allowing three runs on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Coach Speak: "We had some big hits, Chris hit a double down the line to score three, that was huge for us, the top of our lineup just continues to swing the bat." — East Union coach Chris Basil.
