By: Joe Blystone
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
publisher@thevillagereporter.com
WALDRON (April 8, 2024) – On a day when a total eclipse turned the sky to dark, Fayette’s Wyatt Mitchell turned out the lights on Waldron by throwing a 14 strikeout five inning no-hitter in a 13-0 win in the first game of a doubleheader.
And then on a day when the sun was totally covered in some areas, it was the sun the made the day too nice out…yes read this right… too nice to play past the first half inning of the second game, as the glare of the setting sun and then a lack of a way to ignite the field lights made the second game…well…unplayable because of nice weather.
In the opener, Mitchell struck out the side in the first, then after losing a perfect game in the second on his own throwing error on a chopper in front of the mound, the senior lefty fanned the final 10 Spartan outs.
“Wyatt pitched a great game,” Eagle coach Matt Maginn expressed. “The only error we had was his own so besides that he had a really good game.”
“It gives us something to look forward to by getting a win at least in the first game. The second game I guess we can blame the eclipse and the sun coming back out.”
Shane Maginn gave the Eagles the only run they needed with a run scoring RBI single in the first and then came home from second on a groundout for a 2-0 Fayette lead.
After marking a run without a hit in the second, Gavin Figgins’ two-run single was the big blow in a three-run third to push the margin to 6-0.
The Eagles scratched out a run in the fourth, again without a hit, then blew the game open with a six-run fifth.
A passed ball on a strikeout, a hit batter and an error loaded the sacks with no one out. A ground out scored a run, then Mitchell’s base hit to left brought in another before a wild pitch, a ground out, Hawk Brehm’s rope to center and another error padded the lead.
“We made some contact with runners on base.” Maginn said. “We took advantage of some walks and then getting runners in scoring position with our legs.”
Maginn and Brehm each had two hits out of the seven the Eagles accumulated.
FAYETTE 213 16 – 13 7 1
WALDRON 000 00 – 0 0 3
Records: Fayette 1-2
WINNING PITCHER: Mitchell (5 innings, 0 hits, 0 runs, 14 strikeouts, 0 walks)
LOSING PITCHER: Sam Williams (2 innings, 1 hit, 6 runs, 4 earned, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks) OTHER: Seth Williams
LEADING HITTERS: (Fayette) Mitchell – single, 2 RBIs, 2 runs; Maginn – 2 singles, 2 RBIs, 3 runs; Leininger – 3 RBIs; Brehm – 2 singles, RBI; Figgins – single, 2 RBIs