TRIBE AND TIGERS SPLIT DOUBLE DIP

SALINEVILLE, OH-It was a rare Friday double dip for the Wellsville Tigers and Southern Indians.

Game 1

Mason Pitts was the man of the hour, hitting a perfect three-for-three, as Southern Indians dominated Wellsville 13-1 on Friday at Southern Local Junior/Senior High School.

Pitts kicked things off with doubles in the first and second innings, and mixed in a single for good measure. Southern then blew the lid off in the second inning, scoring a whopping eight runs. Braden Rhodes and Zac Mayfield chipped in with hits, and Brody Brown smashed a big triple. Pitts rounded out the scoring frenzy with another double.

Wellsville briefly held the lead after Tyler Landess drove in a run in the first, but Southern quickly flipped the script, tacking on five runs in the bottom half, thanks in part to another two-run double from Pitts.

On the mound, Pitts kept Wellsville at bay, surrendering just one hit and one run over four innings, fanning five. Austin Watkins ended up on the losing side for Wellsville, after allowing 13 runs on seven hits in just an inning and two-thirds.

Southern showed off their skills at the plate and on the bases, gathering nine hits and stealing six bases. Their defense was spotless too, with not a single error, and Rhodes leading the charge in field chances.

Game 2

The second game was a nail-biter, with Wellsville scraping a 2-1 win, which meant the teams split the doubleheader.

The game was a pitchers’ duel through three innings until Southern broke the deadlock. Braden Rhodes singled to put Southern ahead in the fourth. However, Wellsville wasn’t down for long. They bounced back in the bottom of the fourth, with Austin Watkins grounding out to tie the game and Cooper Frank singling to take the lead.

Darnell Roe secured the win for Wellsville, pitching a tight five innings, giving up just one run on three hits and striking out five. Southern’s Frank Shagnot took the tough loss, allowing two runs (one earned) over four innings.

Hitting was sparse with Rhodes, Mason Pitts, and Preston Pitts each snagging a hit for Southern. For Wellsville, Richie Dowling, Leland Monte, and Cooper Frank managed a hit apiece, with Dowling adding some excitement with two stolen bases.

Defensively, Wellsville was rock solid, committing no errors and turning a key double play, with Jay Paige leading in defensive plays.

After splitting the day, Southern is gearing up for their next challenge, hosting East Palestine on Monday.