SILK HOPE — After spotting Coleridge a 2-0 lead here on Monday night, the Ruritans stormed back with 13 unanswered runs to blast the visitors 13-3 to clinch the West Chatham 8U regular season title.
Silk Hope pushed across six runs in the home half of the first inning sparked by leadoff singles from Jackson Clark and Austin Morgan and followed by a double from Ridge Hicks which drove in Clark. Nate Paschal proceeded to slam a two-run double to plate Morgan and Hicks to send the Ruritans into the lead for good at 3-2 before the onslaught continued for the locals with Dylan Leysath mashing a double, Hayden Dark belting a two-run triple, and scoring moments later on a passed ball to make the score 6-2.
After Silk Hope set Coleridge down in order in the top of the second, the Ruritans came back in and sent across seven runs, this time to race in front 13-2.
All the scoring came with two outs and was started by a single from Drew Rippe and a double from Jack Dixon. Clark then followed with a two-run double to left center before Morgan slammed an RBI-double to right center, and then Hicks launched a two-run homer to left field to make the score 11-2.
Silk Hope wasn’t done in the frame as Will Murchison kept things going with a single before Paschal put the finishing touches on the uprising with another homer for the Ruritans, this time a two-run bomb to push the lead to 13-2.
Dark and Regan White would both single in the bottom of the third but the Ruritans would not score.
Coleridge added a run in the top of the fourth but it would be far from enough as Silk Hope put an exclamation point on the regular season title with the 13-3 triumph.
Hicks paced Silk Hope offensively with a 2-for-2 night that included two runs scored, three RBI, a double and a home run while Paschal was 2-for-2 with two runs, two RBI, a double and a roundtripper.
Also belting multiple hits for the Ruritans which closed with 15 as a team were Clark going 2-for-2 with two RBI, a double and two runs, Morgan 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and two runs, and Dark 2-for-2 with a run, two RBI and a triple.