It was two close games, but it was also two wins for the number one ranked Wallace Govs against their rival - Enterprise State Boll Weevils. In game one, the Govs jumped out to sizable lead but in the end had to hold on for a 7-6 win. Game two was a pitching duel with the Govs coming away with 2-0 victory.
The biggest reason the Govs won game one was a brilliant move made by head coach Ryan Ihle. It turned out to be the difference in the ballgame.
Enterprise had just scored three unanswered runs and appeared to have all the momentum. The Boll Weevils had just closed what was once a five-run lead to only two, 5-3.
But with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, Ellis Yohn walked. Then Ihle decided to bring in a pinch hitter to face Enterprise left hander Blayne McDaniel. That pinch hitter was Reigh Jordan, who is normally on the mound. On the first pitch he saw, Jordan connected for a two-run homer when he deposited the ball over the left field fence.
As it turned out, the Govs needed those two runs. The Weevils scored three runs in the top of the seventh thanks to two big Wallace errors that should have been routine outs. The Weevils had the tying run on base when John LaCurto got Gaines Harrell to ground out to second and end the game.
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Basically, all that was needed in game two for the Govs was Jake Middleton and Cason Eubanks.
On the mound, Middleton shut down Enterprise. He tossed a complete game, striking out seven and giving up only two hits.
"This game meant something," Middleton said. "It was my first time playing against our rivals. Plus, it was Sophomore Day. I wanted to make sure our sophomores went out with a win in their last home game."
"Middleton did one heck of a job for us today," Ihle said. "That's the type of performance we need going forward."
Since Middleton was near perfect on the mound, he would only need one run to earn the victory. That one was provided by Eubanks in the third inning when he connected for his team-leading 8th homerun of the season.
The Govs did add an insurance run in the fourth inning. That's when Jake Smith walked with the bases loaded to force in Logan Johnson who had a single.
Another Gov who had a good day was sophomore Brody Capps. After hitting near the bottom of the lineup, Capps was recently moved up to the three spot. That slot has served him well. He had two hits in both games, getting three doubles, a single, and two RBIs.
"Basically what I have done is just get out of my own way," Capps said. "I've just quit thinking and getting myself out. I just tried to rely on what we're being taught during the week."
The Govs are now 40-6 overall and 28-2 in conference play. Thursday's win assures the Govs will not lose a conference series this year. The Govs have two more games against the Boll Weevils this Saturday in Enterprise before heading to the Conference tournament next week.
