By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
The Washington One Senior Babe Ruth team’s slugging streak continued on Tuesday as it topped North Pitt 13-3 in five innings.
Washington (4-0) is yet to play a sixth inning this season, as all its wins have ended with the mercy rule being evoked.
Leadoff hitter Brandon Marsh and No. 2 hitter Jake Duke not only set the table on Tuesday, but cleaned it up as well. The duo combined to go 5-for-6 with three doubles, one home run and six RBIs in the Washington romp.
The rest of the Washington hitters weren’t so bad either. Will Swain went 4-for-4 with three RBIs, while Kevin Sparks was 2-3 with an RBI. Overall, Washington tallied 13 hits off of North Pitt (0-4) pitchers Cody Cyrus and reliever Dede Suggs.
“We have 10 good ball players and one-through-10 can hit the baseball,” Washington coach Joe Duke said. “It just seems like everybody we put in can hit the baseball.”
Marsh found his stroke early and crushed two shots deep to left-center field that both fell just shy of the 360-foot mark. Both times he had to settle for doubles.
Duke made solid contact in each of his at-bats as he hit an RBI single in the second, drove in two more runs with a single in the third, before he smoked a two-run home run to left-center in the fifth.
“(Jake’s) been hitting well in every ball game, but tonight he saw the ball real well,” Duke said. “He just hit the ball on the nose.”
Washington scored one run in the first, three in the second, five in the third and four in the fifth to seal the deal.
With staunch run support, Washington starting pitcher Michael Robinson cruised through his four innings of work as he let up three runs and two hits, while striking out six.
“Michael started off slow, but he hasn’t thrown much in the past week,” Duke said. “But after the first two or three batters he settled down and threw really well. His curveball was working really well and his fastball was moving. If his fastball moves and his curveball is going good he is tough to handle.”
North Pitt was able to get on the scoreboard in the fourth when Cyrus reached base on an error and was driven home one batter later on an Elias Ables RBI single.
North Pitt scored two more runs in the fifth when Tyler Keen’s single scored Damien Dudly for its second run. Keen would later score on a Washington error.
Washington will look to continue its dominance tonight when it plays at Ayden-Grifton.