After a couple of close misses last week, Pillow Academy finally got over the hump.
Thanks to an eight-run sixth inning, the Mustangs rallied for a 10-5 win over archrival Washington School Tuesday at PA’s Louis Coleman Field to snap a 12-game losing streak.
“I am so proud of our guys. They have just stayed strong through this tough stretch. They hung in there and never quit battling,” Pillow coach Jud Thigpen said. “I am just really happy for our players, especially our four seniors, all of whom contributed to this win.”
With the Mustangs trailing 5-2, senior Trey Cobb got the big inning going in the sixth for the home team with a double, followed by a single by Harris Fondren.
Lawson Tharpe, Cole Whitfield and Jacob Garrard followed with RBI singles to tie the game at 5.
Ethan Reichle blasted a two-run double to right field to put Pillow up 8-5, and Fondren brought in a run with his second hit of the inning.
Tharpe pitched a complete game for the Mustangs to pick up the win on the mound. He scattered 11 hits over seven innings and didn’t allow an earned run while striking out six and walking one.
“We still committed five errors, but Lawson kept his composure out there and never got rattled,” Thigpen said. “He did an unbelievable job for us, and we came up with some timely hits to help him out.”
Senior Justin Perkins boosted his batting average thanks to a perfect 2-for-2 outing at the plate with a pair of walks. He singled in the first inning and doubled in the fifth and scored a pair of runs.
Fondren and Garrard had two hits and two RBIs each. Cobb and Gabe Reifers also had two hits each.
Washington went up 1-0 in the first after Anderson Shelly reached on a two-base error and later scored.
Taking advantage of two more errors in the second, the Generals pushed their lead to 3-0 with a pair of unearned runs.
PA (3-12, 1-12 in North AAA) made it 3-1 in the fourth on an RBI single to center field by Cobb. The Mustangs missed a chance for a big inning by leaving the bases loaded.
Pillow’s lone run in the fifth came when Perkins doubled to center field and scored on a single by Garrard.
Pillow is scheduled to play a doubleheader at Washington Thursday in Greenville.
