Boyd-Buchanan Bucs throttle Silverdale Seahawks, 9-2

photo Silverdale Baptist Academy second baseman Jordan Delashmitt gets ready to turn a double play in front of a slide by Boyd Buchanan's Garet Baker Tuesday at Silverdale Baptist Academy.

Other than a third-inning pitching lapse, Boyd-Buchanan had the best of all the baseball facets in a 9-2 victory Tuesday at Silverdale Baptist Academy.

In a key District 5-A game, the Buccaneers played error-free defense and collected 11 hits.

The two pitchers, Brandon Willingham and John Sewell, combined on a 14-strikeout five-hitter. Both Seahawks runs came in the third when Willingham seemed to lose focus after striking out the side in each of the first two innings.

"He lost his concentration, I think," Bucs coach Josh Rider said. "He didn't have his best stuff and it seemed like he was pitching every inning with a runner on. He's a young guy that's still learning, but he's doing a good job and keeping us in games. We have to do a better job as a staff of pitching with a lead."

Willingham hit the leadoff man in the first and second innings and walked the third-inning leadoff batter before giving up a single to Jordan Delashmitt and hitting another batter. He allowed four hits before Sewell pitched the final two innings.

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"They're a solid team. They hit the ball well and their pitching staff is fairly deep," SBA coach Jonathan Adcock said. "Their guys today threw strikes and kept the ball down."

In his first year as a starter, sophomore right fielder E.J. Matthews went 2-for-4 with three RBIs for the Bucs. His two-run single in the third gave Willingham some breathing room, and he singled in another run in the fourth.

"He's been very consistent. He has hit in the five-spot pretty much all year and has been doing a great job," Rider said.

Bucs slugger Nathan Murrell was limited to one hit but provided it at a crucial time, knocking in two runs. Skyler Anderson also had two hits for the winners.

Josiah Green was 2-for-4 to lead the Seahawks.

"We have some older guys but we're playing four freshmen in key positions, so we're trying to jell as a team and we're just not there yet," said Adcock, whose 2013 group reached the Class A state final. "It's been a tough process and a lot of fun, but it has had its ups and downs."

Contact Ward Gossett at wgossett@timesfreepress.com or 423-886-4765. Follow him at Twitter.com/wardgossett.

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