George Wythe defeats Northwood 10-0

By JIM CUNNINGHAM/Staff

The George Wythe Maroons bounced back from a loss to first place Chilhowie the day before to defeat the Northwood Panthers 10-0 in a Hogoheegee District baseball game played Wednesday afternoon at GWHS.
Chilhowie shut out GW 7-0 the day before to practically clinch the district title. And CHS did wrap up the title with a win over Holston on Thursday.
But GW’s victory over Northwood assured the Maroons at least a tie for second place. GW was scheduled to play Holston on Friday. If GW won, it will finish second. A loss could make it a tie for second place with Patrick Henry.
That makes a difference because the top two teams get a first-round bye in the district tournament, which begins Tuesday.
The Maroons are now 6-3 in the district and 8-7 overall.
Limited to only three hits the day before, George Wythe pounded out 10 hits in the five inning game, which was stopped by the 10-run rule with two outs in the bottom of the fifth after a two-run single by Robert Yonce.
“We came ready to play,” said George Wythe Coach Jason Luttrell. And B.J. (Cregger) pitched a heck of a game. He’s pitched well his last two outings.”
Luttrell said Cregger hasn’t seen a lot of work on the mound this season but looked sharp over the five innings. He struck out five, allowed only three hits and walked only two.
GW center fielder Kelly Kline led at the plate by going 3-for-3 with a double and a sacrifice fly. Josh Stephens was 2-for-3 with a triple. And Devin Smith was 2-for-3 with three RBIs.
Cregger gave up a first inning single to Cory Norris and a walk but worked out of it.
Kline led off the home half of the first with his first hit of the day, a line single to right. He stole second, went to third on a throwing error and scored on a hard-hit single to left by Smith.
Cregger put the Panthers down quickly in the top of the second with two strikeouts and a tap back to the mound.
Stephens led off the bottom of the center with a ringing triple to center field. Then Cregger followed that with shot to right field for another triple to make it a 2-0 game.
Vernon Holland then drew a one-out walk, and Kline followed with an RBI single to left. Yonce walked to load the bases, and Smith bounced a single up the middle to bring home two more runs for a 5-0 lead.
Stephens led off for the second consecutive inning with his second consecutive hit, this time a single to left, and Cregger followed with a walk. The first run of the inning came on a single to left by Timothy Goins that prompted the departure of Northwood starter Jeremiah Thompson in favor of Canaan Davidson. Vernon Holland hit a sacrifice fly to right field to allow Goins to reach third on a double to left for Cline’s third hit (he turned a would-be single into a double with sheer hustle) of the day and a 7-0 GW lead. Another run came in later on an error.
Cregger allowed just a single by Chris Call in the top of the fourth but did not threaten. Neither did the Maroon in their half of the fourth.
NHS got a single from Davidson in the fifth but that was it.
The Maroons ended the game in the bottom of the fifth when the first two batters reached on errors and then Kline lofted a sacrifice fly to deep left field to allow both runners to advance to second and third with two outs.
Then Yonce delivered the final blow with a line drive two-RBI single.
George Wythe will compete in the district tournament this week. If GW ends up the third seed it will play Tuesday. If it ends up second, it will play in the semifinals at Chilhowie on Thursday.

Northwood 000 000 0 – 0 3 5
George Wythe 143 02 – 10 10 1
Thompson, Davidson (3) and Norris. Cregger and Smith. W—Cregger (1-1). L—Thompson.
(T – 1:32)