Peyton Thomas held Winfield to just two hits in seven scoreless innings on Thursday and matched his season-high with 10 strikeouts, leading Phil Campbell to a 2-0 win.
Thomas (2-0) allowed a one-out single in the bottom of the first and another in the bottom of the fourth. The junior right-hander walked two batters and hit one, throwing 101 pitches (61 for strikes) and recording nine groundball outs in his first complete game of the year. He struck out the side in the third, had two Ks in the fifth and worked a one-two-three seventh, striking out the final batter of the game to seal the win.
The Bobcats (9-5) broke up a scoreless tie in the top of the third when Thomas came through with a two-out RBI single. They added another run in the fourth when Brody Nix singled and later scored on a hit by Joe Hardy to make it 2-0.
Nix finished the game 3-for-3. Nick Swinney was 1-for-3 with a double, and Thomas, Hardy and Hayden Copeland also had one hit apiece. Nick Taylor scored a run.
In previous action:
Haleyville 9 Phil Campbell 5
Tuesday’s game was tied 4-4 late before host Haleyville took advantage of three hits, two hit batters, an error and a balk to score five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. The Lions then escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the seventh to hold on for their third win of the season over Phil Campbell in three tries.
The Bobcats jumped out to an early lead when Hayden Copeland doubled and scored on an error in the top of the first. Nick Taylor’s RBI double in the top of the second made it 2-0 before Haleyville answered with two runs in the bottom half to tie the game.
Brody Nix and Nick Swinney each had an RBI single in the top of the third as Phil Campbell went back in front, but the Lions pulled even again with a run in the bottom of the third and another in the fourth.
The game remained tied 4-4 until Haleyville’s big sixth inning. A bases-loaded walk to Mike Wrona with two outs in the top of the seventh cut the lead to 9-5 and brought the tying run to the plate for the Bobcats, but Peyton Thomas (Phil Campbell’s home run leader with three already on the season) grounded to short for the final out.
Nix finished 2-for-3 with a double, and Copeland was 2-for-5 with a stolen base. Wrona went 1-for-3 with two walks and three steals, and Thomas walked three times and scored once.
Copeland started and pitched the first two innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits. He struck out four and walked one before giving way in the bottom of the third to Chase Hutchens, who pitched into the sixth. Hutchens (1-3) allowed six runs (four earned) on six hits in 3.2 innings, striking out two and walking one.
