Jacob Brandon had a two-run triple, starting pitcher Tanner Farmer allowed no hits and the Todd County Central High School baseball team won its fifth straight game in convincing fashion Thursday, throttling Caverna 19-2 in three innings.
Farmer (1-1) worked all three innings for the Rebels, fanning seven and walking just two on 50 pitches. The host Colonels managed to get a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the second — both on a passed ball and wild pitch on Farmer strikeouts.
Todd Central, which improved to 12-5 and secured its second five-game winning streak of the season, took control early by scoring seven two-out runs in the first inning of Thursday’s contest. After Caverna’s Landon Slagle (0-2) recorded consecutive ground outs on just four pitches to start the game, the Rebels proceeded to put eight straight runners on base. Slagle gave up 11 walks, five hits and 16 runs (half earned) in two innings.
Gavyn Nolan and Grady Reding each had RBI hits during the opening frame. The remainder of the runs came on wild pitches, errors or bases-loaded walks. In the top of the second, TCCHS drew four straight bases on balls to open the frame, then Will Kearns made it 10-0 on a two-run single to right field.
After Todd County Central surged ahead to a 13-0 lead, Brandon all but put the game away with a line-drive triple to center, scoring a pair for a 15-run Rebel lead. Nate Reding added an RBI triple of his own in the third inning, giving his team 13 total bases in the victory.
Nate Reding, Brandon and Kearns each finished with two RBIs each. Ten different Todd Central players scored at least a run, with Brandon crossing home plate a team-best three times. The Rebels had nine hits, 10 stolen bases and committed just one error.
