Clover takes down Greenville in first round of 4A baseball playoffs

It was Going Green Night at Clover Thursday night for the first round of the 4A baseball playoffs, and the Blue Eagle hitters found a lot of green as they defeated the Greenville Red Raiders 8-2.

Clover tallied 18 base hits and nine different players had at least two for the home team. Noah Lindsay pitched a complete game to get the win and reached base three times, with a big two-run double in the first inning to answer Greenville and start the Clover scoring attack. The Blue Eagles got three runs on six hits in the inning after the Red Raiders had put up one in the top half.

Lindsay settled down on the hill after the first inning to scatter eight hits and only one more run.

Garrett Goldberg, who went 3-for-4, led off the first with a base hit, and Jimmy Marcelli followed with a double down the third base line to put two runners in scoring position for Lindsay. Lindsay them chopped a high pitch into the left-field corner to make it 2-1 Clover.

Justin Bailey singled and scored on a Carson Spiers single in the top of the first.

The Blue Eagles scored two in the fourth after two were out and nobody had reached. Cody Payne singled and Goldberg doubled to right. Marcelli’s base hit to right plated both and made it 5-1. Clover reached base five times on bunts.

Cameron Tolodziecki, who was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice bunt, had a two-run single in the sixth to provide some insurance.

TURNING POINT

Greenville struck first in their first at-bat, but the Blue Eagles answered and took control of the game in the home half of the inning. Four straight hits to start the game, and six total in the inning, produced three runs and put the pressure back on the guests from Greenville.

CRITICAL

Lindsay got out of a first-and-second, one-out situation in the sixth after the Red Raiders had already scored once. He got a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat with Clover leading 6-2.

Greenville could not field bunts cleanly all night. The Blue Eagles had several sacrifices and used their speed to turn more attempts into base hits.

STAR CONTRIBUTORS

Lindsay had the first big hit at the plate and got the complete game win. Goldberg was 3-for-4 and scored twice, while Tolodziecki was 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Cody Payne was also 2-for-3.

ON DECK

Clover will travel to J.L. Mann Saturday.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 9:22 PM with the headline "Clover takes down Greenville in first round of 4A baseball playoffs."