Niceville pitches way to win over Vikings (with VIDEO, PHOTOS)
By TRAVIS DOWNEY
Northwest Florida Daily News
315-4476 | travisd@nwfdailynews.com
FORT WALTON BEACH - Niceville coach Brad Phillips could not have scripted it any better.
Niceville starting pitcher Hunter Phillips threw two innings of one-hit ball then exited and watched as five relievers combined to limit Fort Walton Beach to just two hits over the final five innings while his own lineup continued with its trend of timely hitting as the Eagles scraped their way to a 3-0 District 1-5A win over the Vikings.
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"It's another team hard-fought win," Phillips said. "That's the way this year has been up to this point. I like the fact that we're getting timely hits when we need to."
Niceville (4-1) finally broke through against Fort Walton Beach starting pitcher J.D. Little in the fifth when a one-out walk to Eagles catcher Michael Wells was followed by an RBI double into the left field corner by Danny Collins.
The early run would prove to be more than enough for Niceville, as one by one, the Eagles shuffled in one effective reliever for another.
"We needed to get some work," Phillips said. "All of them needed their work, that was the plan. Whatever happened we wanted to get Shawn (McDorman) in at the end to close it out, (and) hopefully have the lead with him, which we did."
Niceville tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth off Viking reliever Robin Bailey as a pair of walks came back to bite Fort Walton Beach when Wells dumped an RBI single into right to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead. One batter later, Collins followed with another RBI double, this one reaching the fence in left center.
Wells finished 1-for-2 at the plate with a walk, a hit by pitch one RBI and one run. Collins was 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI doubles.
Fort Walton Beach would load the bases with two outs in the bottom of the sixth and send its most potent bat - No. 5 hitter Josh Brister - to the plate, but the Eagles would spring off the field and back into its dugout following a strikeout. Just two innings earlier, it appeared Brister had given the Vikings their own 3-0 lead when he crushed Robert Price's 3-1 offering over the left field fence.
But the home plate umpire ruled the ball foul and one pitch later Price retired Brister with a high fastball.
The loss dropped the Vikings' record to 1-3 on the season.
"We just have to keep chopping wood," Fort Walton Beach coach David Garner said.
Niceville 000 012 0 - 3 5 4
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WP: Robert Price LP: J.D. Little
