By DAVID MILLER
Special to The Dispatch
Another district clash with Oxford High, and another mistake-ridden inning that doomed New Hope’s upset bid.
The Trojans gave up a four-run inning early at Oxford on Tuesday and had two costly errors in the first inning Saturday at home that helped the Chargers take a 4-0 lead and an eventual 7-0 win.
A fielding error was directly responsible for a run in the first, and a wild pitch from Noah Brock brought in another run. Oxford’s Thomas Dillard then made it a 6-0 game in the second when he smashed a one-out pitch several feet over the centerfield fence, about twice the height of the corners and 385 feet from home plate.
“We just have to work harder to cut down errors early in the game,” said Koby Harcrow, New Hope shortstop. “Tuesday, if we cut down that four-run inning and cut down that one inning today, it’s a different game. We have to cut down strikeouts and make routine plays.”
Saturday, putting the ball in play proved to be the most difficult of the Trojans’ tasks to beat Oxford, which took a 2-0 lead in district play and improved to 12-5 with the win. Chargers pitcher Jason Barber, who, along with pitcher Houston Roth, have signed to play at Ole Miss, kept New Hope pitchers off-balance with a steady dose of fastballs in the low 90s and a slider that often had New Hope hitters lunging and missing at the plate.
Barber went all seven innings and gave up just one hit and two walks. He struck out 10, including two batters in each of the last four innings.
“Barber’s fast ball is heavy and hard to square up, but that slider really keeps hitters off-balance,” said Lee Boyd, New Hope coach. “We got to battle a little harder at that plate. We had 10 or 11 strikeouts, and I think Oxford had 15 the other night … they do it to a lot of people.”
Despite Brock’s up-and-down play in the first two frames, the sophomore settled down and threw four straight shut-out, hitless innings before leaving the game after the sixth inning. Boyd said he felt like a solid outing by Brock was tainted by just a handful of plays. Only four of the six runs Brock gave up were earned. He struck out four and walked five for the Trojans (9-4, 0-2).
“I think Noah threw well,” Boyd said. “I don’t feel like it was his ordeal. I’m not sure if it was nerves there for the team as a whole, but, like Tuesday, we got in a four-spot in the first inning, missing balls we normally catch. We had a rough day defensively Friday against Amory but ended up pulling that out.
“I don’t know if it’s nerves to blame, but you got to make those plays, especially when you’re going against an SEC arm. You can’t put yourself in a bad situation.”
Boyd was particularly frustrated with his team’s approach at the plate, often imploring his players to sit on first-pitch fastballs because “we all know it’s coming.”
“I gave a green light a couple of times today on 3-0,” Boyd said. “A pitcher like that will pound the zone, and you have to take advantage of hitters’ counts.”
Boyd hopes that a two-week stretch in which they faced Barber, Roth and Deacon Medders, a University of Alabama signee of American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa, will help the game “slow down” for his hitters.
“I’ve talked to some of my former players, some guys on the junior college level, and they say ‘coach, when you see 91-92 everyday, it kind of slows down for you,'” Boyd said. “So I’m hoping that the next time we see 80-81 it’ll be a lot more hittable.”
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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