The Polk County Middle School Baseball team beat Macon Middle School on Monday 5 to 4 to improve to 4 and 1 on the season. Polk and Macon were tied for first.
After starting the season with a loss to Waynesville Middle, the team has rattled off four victories in a row with the last one over Macon. Coach Ruth said all their victories have been relatively close, three of them one-run games.
He also mentioned that his pitching staff has been outstanding and really helped win some games. The team ERA is 1.6 with opposing teams only scoring an average of 3 runs a game.
The pitching staff includes Morgan Groves, Bryce Martin, and Dequn Gary. Dequn has come on strong this year and has really helped the team with his performance on the mound.
Leading the team with hitting is Martin with a .579 avg followed closely by Groves .533. Others who have contributed with their bats are Mark Mazzilli, Justin Jones, Tyler Campbell, and Noah Howell with his two RBIs against Macon, which sealed the victory. Ruth said they have played solid fundamental baseball and it is paying off with wins.
Others on the team are Konner Scruggs, Tyler Jackson, Cole Morgan, Sean Doyle, Daniel Painter, Matthew Milam and Cory Skipper. Everyone on the team has been a part of each of the victories, with line-up changes in almost every game due to injuries. Ruth said he is very proud of the team and hopes they can continue the success.