Homers help Indians down the Devils

By Cody Clifton
Correspondent
FORT DEFIANCE — Fort Defiance used the power game, surviving a rain delay and ferocious velocity from Rustburg pitcher Blake Forslund to capture an 11-2 win over the visiting Devils Monday.
The Indians pulled ahead in the first inning on four hits to take the early lead, 3-0. RBI doubles by Michael Wade and Aaron Sheets contributed to the first inning pummeling as Fort hit Rustburg early.
“I thought their kid was impressive with velocity,” Fort coach Vic Spotts said. “I thought our kids were just as impressive with meeting the ball.”
Daniel “Righty” Wright was near unstoppable on the mound, giving up only two runs, both of which occurred during a second inning downpour.
The Indians continued to hit Forslund in the second and third innings on solo shots by Derek Shifflett and Sean Britt.
Shifflett swung at a pitch up and out of the strike zone, smacking a line drive over the left-field fence. Britt pulled a 2-0 pitch to right field, running Devils’ right fielder Chris Anderson back to the wall, only to watch it sail out of his reach into the trees.
“Righty” Wright cruised from that point on allowing only four hits the rest of the way, two of which came in the seventh inning. “Righty” got help from his defense in a well-rounded ballgame.
Catcher Tyler Hoffman gunned down would-be base stealers at second in the third and fifth innings on plays that were not even close. The ball reached the bag before each runner went into his slide.
With two outs in the fourth, Devil third baseman Matt Cook drove a pitch into deep center field. Blake Sipe ran back on the ball, diving towards the fence and hauling in the catch.
“Righty” made his own defensive gem in the top of the sixth inning. Casey Tyree hit a nubber off the end of his bat, blooping it into the air. Wright came off the mound, diving towards the baseline, hauling in the ball while sliding across the wet grass.
Even with the defense playing the way it was, Wright continued to get help at the plate.
Sipe tripled in the fourth inning to score Dustin Brugler from first, who reached on an error by the third baseman.
“Righty” helped himself out in the fifth with a solo home run to opposite field to make the score 7-2.
“I told the guys it was going to be a low scoring game; 1-0, 2-1, 3-1, 3-2 max,” Spotts said. “The left number one on the scoreboard doesn’t even work. We thought about putting some bulbs, getting up there, taking off the screen, and going and getting the bulbs, but the left one would have to come on. I told my guys, there’s no way that’s going to happen, so don’t worry about it.”
The Indians poured it on in the sixth, getting only two hits, but making good use of a hit batsman, a walk, and two Devil errors.
The Indians hit the road today where they will face Turner Ashby in the regional
semifinals.