Big righty shuts down Hilldale

By Kenton Brooks
Phoenix Sports Writer

March 21, 2008 01:08 am

— COLLINSVILLE — After giving up four runs in the top of the first, Hilldale’s baseball team started thinking about making a comeback.
The Hornets got close, but 6-foot-5 senior right hander Jerod Peper and Adair had other ideas in shutting down Hilldale 4-3 in the opening day of the Collinsville Tournament at Collinsville’s Pat Colpitt Field on a windy Thursday.
Peper, signed to play for Seminole State College, struck out seven of the eight batters he faced in the last 2.1 innings of work to hold off the Hornets for his first save of the season. Hilldale dropped to 4-4 and Adair improved to 3-1.
Hilldale scored twice in the bottom of the first when Devin Rowan singled in Austin Evans and Clint Breedlove singled in John Frisby. With two outs and the bases loaded, Michael Chang hit a sharp line drive to left field, but the Adair left fielder ran over and made the catch to end the inning.
The Hornets added their final run in the fifth when Frisby, who reached on an error and stole second base, raced home on a wild pitch.
That’s when Peper came in and shut down the Hornets. He struck out seven straight batters and got Dustin Rawlings to ground out to first base to end the game.
“He’s pretty good, but we gave them those four runs in the first inning. You can’t do that,” Hilldale coach Darren Riddle said. “We misplayed a couple of balls.”
Adair coach Travis Bryant is proud that Peper is the ace of his staff.
“Nobody has a hit off of him in 12 innings this season,” Bryant said. “He wants the ball. I feel that if we have a lead into the fifth inning, we have a good chance to win with him on the mound.”
Riddle kept thinking about Chang’s fly ball that was carried by the strong southeastern wind that blew toward left field.
“If that ball gets down, we score three runs,” he said.
Despite not giving up any earned runs, losing pitcher Brandon Blevins (1-1) struck out eight batters in pitching a complete game.
Hilldale returns to the Collinsville Tournament today and the Hornets will play in Sapulpa. Riddle’s squad faces Jay at 4 p.m. and Sapulpa at 6:30 p.m. in rescheduled games because it was too wet to play Wednesday from rain earlier in the week.
The Hornets’ next home game is 5 p.m. Monday against Collinsville.