DeQuincy downs Vinton in season finale, 10-0

The Vinton Lions kept it close early in the game with some great defensive plays but the DeQuincy Tigers racked up 15 hits to win 10-0 in the regular season finale for both teams in Vinton on Thursday.

Vinton turned a double play in the first and third inning and starting pitcher Travis Vincent retired the side in the second to keep the Lions within striking distance, 3-0, after two and a half inning.

“We backed up our pitcher and our pitcher hit his spots,” Vinton head coach Bart Anderson said. “We did not give many free rides.

“They (DeQuincy) earned the win today. They were just the better ball club.”

With runners on first and second, DeQuincy’s Caleb Kellogg hit a grounder to Vinton third baseman Clint Schaffer who tagged third and threw to first for the double play in the first inning.

DeQuincy (18-8, 10-2) did manage to squeeze across a lone run in the first on a single by Anthony Perkins.

Vinton got two runners on base in the top of the first on a double down the left field line by Tyler Loyd and walk but came up empty.

The arm of center fielder Dylan Boudreaux cancelled out at least three Tiger runs in the he top of the third.

After an RBI single by Kade Overton, Kellogg hit a line drive to center field that looked like it would drop in for a single. But Boudreaux snagged the ball before it hit the ground and threw to first to catch Overton off the bag for another double play.

Boudreaux closed out the top of the third when his throw to home plate was in time to catch Perkins after a single to center field by Clayton Blanks.

But the Lions could not hold back the Tigers in the final two innings as they scored seven runs on nine hits to invoke the 10-run mercy rule.

Kellogg allowed just two hits while striking out eight in the win for the Tigers.

Perkins was perfect at the plate going 3-for-3 with two RBIs. Overton went 3-for-4 with four RBIs and Tyler Burgess went 2-for-3 with an RBI and two doubles.

Boudreaux had the only other hit for Vinton on a single to left field in the third inning.

Vincent took the loss for the Lions going four innings. He allowed seven runs on 12 hits. Vincent struck out two and walked two.

Thursday marked the final game for Vinton’s seniors Boudreaux, Tim Abshire, Jeff Dobbs and Clint Schaffer.

“It was an up and down year,” Anderson said. “We are graduating four but we have 15 kids coming back next.

“The last four or five games I have been real happy with our play. We are just falling short here or there but they play hard every game and I can’t ask for much more than that.”

Box score
            1    2    3    4    5–    R    H    E
DEQ    1    0    2    4    3–    10  15   0
VIN      0    0    0    0    0–­    0    2     2
WP: Kellogg (5in, 0R, 2H, 8K, 2BB)
LP: Vincent (4in, 7ER, 12H, 2K, 2BB)
HITTING: DeQUINCY–C.J. Carter 2-3, RBI, 2R; Overton 3-4, 4RBI, R; Kellogg 1-4, 2RBI, double; Burgess 2-3, RBI, R, 2 doubles; Perkins 3-3, 2RBI, double; Blanks 1-4; Jacob Dietz 1-3, R; Mitchell Marshall 1-2, 2R; Layton Braneff 1-2, 2R. VINTON–Boudreaux 1-2; Loyd 1-2, double.