Walk-off single caps Meadows’ twin bill sweep

The Meadows entered its baseball doubleheader against White Pine on Friday looking to start Class 2A Southern League play strong, overcome the absences of three starters and see young players execute in clutch situations.

Check, check and check.

Freshman Chase Marrs hit a walk-off single in the eighth inning of the second game to score Justin Diamond and help the Mustangs complete a 13-2, 3-2 sweep.

“It’s a big boost,” The Meadows coach Frank DeSantis said. “(White Pine is) a decent team in our league. The biggest goal is to make the playoffs, and I expect them to be battling for second or third as well.”

The Mustangs (5-5) have won five of six after an 0-4 start. They evened their record despite playing without their Nos. 4, 5 and 6 hitters, who DeSantis said couldn’t get out of prior travel arrangements after a late schedule change.

 

“It’s definitely a good start against a difficult team,” Marrs said. “The next game we’re going to have to come out and do the same thing. It gets us motivated, but we’re still going to have some good competition.”

Diamond, who finished 3-for-4, led off the eighth inning of the second game with a double to right field and then scored two batters later when Marrs smacked a full-count fastball down the left-field line.

 

“I came out looking for my perfect pitch, and I found it,” Marrs said. “It was right down the middle, just where I wanted it.”

The Meadows forced the extra frame on Garrett Gosse’s two-run single with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.

Gosse earned a complete-game win. The sophomore right-hander allowed no earned runs, scattered four hits, walked two and struck out eight.

 

“Garrett pitched great,” DeSantis said. “He’s really maturing as an athlete. He doesn’t expect anything less out of himself; he’s just a great competitor.”

In the opener, The Meadows’ Brandon Thomas went 3-for-3 with a triple and Bobby Pisanelli was 2-for-4 with two doubles. The Mustangs turned a triple play in the second inning.

 

Sajel Gale doubled and Michael Johnson tripled in the first game for White Pine (3-6-1, 0-2).