By Fred Kroner
Pitchers Blake Wolters and Mason Orton combined to pitch 13 innings on Saturday (May 6), allowing a total of one run and no walks while combining for 30 strikeouts in Mahomet-Seymour’s baseball doubleheader sweep of visiting Mattoon, 13-0 and 9-1.
At the start of the day, M-S and Mattoon were tied for first place in the Apollo Conference with 6-2 league records.
Wolters, a right-hander, pitched the six-inning opener, scattering three hits and fanning 13 batters while improving his season record to 5-1. His performance came on a day more than 20 major league scouts were in attendance, including one general manager.
Carter Johnson, Tyson Finch and Cade Starrick thrived on the offensive end.
All three players pounded three hits. Starrick drove in a season-high six runs. Finch had four RBI. Ben Wagner knocked in two runs.
Starrick and Wagner blasted home runs. Starrick’s homer was a grand slam in the bottom of the sixth inning that created the 10-run margin and ended the contest.
Mateo Casillas contributed two hits. Finch and Johnson each scored three runs. Carter Selk and Starrick both tallied two runs.
In the nightcap, Orton (4-0), a left-hander, delivered a seven-inning four hitter. He yielded one earned run and struck out a season-high 17 batters, one away from the school record established by Jeff Martin 31 years ago.
Finch, Selk, Alex McHale and Braden Houchin all drilled two hits.
McHale socked a home run. Houchin and McHale had two RBI apiece. Houchin and Selk both tallied two runs.
On Thursday (May 4), senior left-hander Casillas fired a five-inning perfect game in M-S’ 13-0 win at Heyworth.
Casillas faced the minimum number of 15 batters and struck out 13 of them, a season’s high.
He helped himself at the plate, clubbing two hits.
Johnson and Starrick were the Bulldogs’ offensive leaders, each pounding three hits. Johnson drove in three runs. Starrick scored two runs and stole two bases.
Finch laced two hits and scored two runs. Matthew Orr also tallied two runs.
M-S (24-3) has an 11-game winning streak heading into a Monday (May 8) game at home against Prairie Central.
