The Rams win with clutch hitting over the Jaguars
SNOW HILL — In a classic cross-town rivalry, the Greene Central Rams staged a stunning late-game comeback to defeat the Farmville Central Jaguars 5-4 on Senior Night Tuesday. The two schools, located just 12 miles apart, delivered another memorable matchup that lived up to the excitement generated by the intense competition.
Despite being down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the Rams refused to let their 14-game winning streak end without a fight. Greene Central's Braden Burress stepped up in the clutch with clearing the bases with a double that turned into the Rams leadoff to score on a 1-0 count to score four runs, putting the Rams ahead 5-2. This win pushed their overall record to 16-3 and a perfect 11-0 in conference play.
"Early on in the game, I was getting beat with a lot of fastballs," Burress said. "So, I knew I had to make an adjustment early on in the next at-bat so I could be ahead of the pitcher. I got up there, shortened up, and was hunting a fastball. I got it, and I did what I was supposed to do with it."
Farmville Central's Trey Williford had opened the scoring in the first inning with a double on a 3-1 count, driving in one run. Despite their 6-10 overall record and 3-6 standing in conference play, the Jaguars continued to battle throughout the game.
Freshman pitcher Riley Radford earned the win for Greene Central, throwing six and a third innings, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out five. The Jaguars mounted a late rally in the seventh inning, scoring two runs off Radford. However, the young pitcher remained composed under pressure.
"It was getting a little rough, my arm was getting tired," Radford said. "I flushed my mind and threw strikes. I just did my job." The freshman attributed his ability to stay focused to the support from his teammates, particularly Burress, who spoke to him throughout the inning.
On the other side, Farmville Central's Trey Williford pitched six innings, allowing five runs on five hits while striking out six. Greene Central's Leland Barrow started the game, giving up two runs on two hits over two-thirds of an inning.
The Rams will now look to continue their winning streak as they face Farmville Central once more in their final conference game tomorrow.
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