Providence

rocks Watauga
By Steve Behr
sports@wataugademocrat.com

CHARLOTTE — Watauga allowed 14 runs in 10 innings on the road during its doubleheader against Providence Saturday. Nobody ever thought Providence would score 12 of them in one inning.

After getting a solo home run to take a 1-0 victory over the Pioneers in the completion of a game that started in Boone two weekends ago, Providence opened the second game with a 12-run first inning in its 13-1 win in five innings.

The Panthers smacked four home runs and the first seven batters reached base during a long inning.
Providence sent 15 batters to the plate before Trey Dunnigan, Watauga’s third pitcher in the inning, put out the fire with a strikeout.

“We played hard today after playing last night and having to make a long trip down here,” Pioneers coach Pete Hardee said. “We fulfilled our commitment. We showed up and did what we asked them to do.”

Eric Semeniuk and Richie Shaffer each hit two home runs during the first inning. Corey Smith added a solo home run in the second inning.

Providence continued to hit the ball hard, but Dunnigan was able to get some outs. He got some help in the fifth inning, when the Pioneers turned a double play.

The Panthers avoided a shutout when Dunnigan singled and scored on a Chris Shelton single in the second inning. Providence pitcher Kurt Semeniuk kept the Pioneers’ bats in check by limiting them to five hits.

Hardee said it was not that tempting to put in one of his top two pitchers since both threw in Watauga’s 12-6 win over Alexander Central Friday night. Jon Sharpe went into the sixth inning, before Tyler Moore finished the game.

“The only reason we would have used them if we got closer,” Hardee said. “We got a good game out of Ethan Moyer, who will be starting the third game in the conference tournament, so we’re ready for next week.”

The first game was nothing like the second. Starting in the second inning, Moyer, otherwise known as EMo did not allow a hit until Tyler Zupec hit a solo home run in the fifth inning.

C.A. Clayton added a single in the sixth inning, but that would be all the hits Moyer would allow. He fanned four, and did not walk a batter.

“Today’s game was about getting at-bats and pitching people who haven’t pitched a while and getting EMo a start because he hasn’t thrown for a while,” Hardee said. “We got that done.”