Clover defeats Northwestern

Strong pitching, timely hitting and opportunistic at-bats produce wins on the baseball diamond.

The Clover High School team pushed across seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Friday on the way to a 9-6 Region 3-AAAA win against Northwestern.

The cross-county rivals were locked in a tight pitching duel until the sixth-inning run, with the Blue Eagles clinging to a 2-1 lead at the Clover baseball complex.

“This is a big win for our team in the region,” said Clover head coach Hank Wofford. “Northwestern is a fantastic club, always tough.”

“I am so proud of our guys tonight, the way they hung in there and played hard, the effort,” said Wofford. “It’s a big win for us.”

Wofford said the Blue Eagles’ seven-run sixth inning proved to be a game-changer.

“We knew we had to keep scoring runs,” he said. “Northwestern’s gonna keep scoring. They’re gonna keep putting pressure on you.”

Wofford said the Clover players had good at-bats during the sixth-inning scoring binge.

“Our guys did a good job of capitalizing on some mistakes that Northwestern made,” he said. “They did a good job in the top of the seventh inning capitalizing on some mistakes that we made.

“It was good to have enough at the end for sure.”

Wofford keeps telling the Blue Eagles players that the region is a process. “We play the games one at a time,” he said. “We play the season one game at a time.”

Wofford said he also is aware of the strength of the teams in Region 3-AAAA.

“We know we’re gonna have to bring our A-game every time we come to the field, if we’re gonna have a chance to compete,” he said. “These teams are just unbelievable in our region.”

Senior Blue Eagles pitcher Barrett Courtwright was a stalwart on the mound, throwing a near-complete game with relief coming only in the final inning.

“Anytime you beat a team in the region it is big, especially Northwestern,” said Courtwright.

He his throwing arm was OK despite having ice applied after the game as a precautionary measure.

“I’m good to go,” he said. “The team backed me up with those sixth-inning runs. It means a lot.”

Courtwright said the key to success for the Blue Eagles pitchers is patience and confidence.

“The key for our pitchers is to take the games one at a time, and to take our practices one at a time,” he said. “If we keep scoring runs, pitching well and playing defense, we will win games in the region.”

Courtwright pointed to Friday’s win as an example.

The Blue Eagles’ sixth-inning production began with Landon Harkey’s solid single to right centerfield.

Nate Morrison followed with a well-executed bunt and was ruled safe at first.

Cole Hybarger later walked, loading the bases with Blue Eagles runners.

A wild throw following Garrett Goldberg’s ground ball sent two Clover runners across the plate.

A sacrifice fly scored Hybarger from third, staking the Blue Eagles to a 5-2 lead. Another throwing error scored two more Clover runs.

A wild pitch and another sacrifice fly produced more Clover runs.

The Blue Eagles started another run in the bottom of the fourth when Hybarger and Goldberg singled, but Hybarger was thrown out at the plate attempting to score from third.

Clover had a pair of singles in the fifth inning but the runners were left stranded.

The Blue Eagles return to region play Friday when they travel to Nation Ford for a 7:30 p.m. game.

This story was originally published March 23, 2015 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Clover defeats Northwestern."