After observing the 1960 and 1961 Clinton baseball teams being honored for their back to back state titles, the Red Devils came out and played like champions. Clinton was able to break out of a three game losing streak on Monday night against Woodruff. The Red Devils bats came alive in the fifth with six runs on five hits as they pulled away to an 8-4 advantage.

Woodruff was held to one run in the first, when left fielder Josh Simmons made an amazing catch over his shoulder and then relayed the ball to shortstop O’Kevius Conway who threw to third to get the runner there who left early to end the inning. In Clinton’s half of the first, Conway and Dalton Foster walked and Bradley Templeton got an RBI single to tie the game at one.

The next three and a half innings turned into a pitching dual as neither team was able to get a hit when they needed it. In the bottom of the fifth, Conway led off with a single for Clinton followed by a single by Foster. Templeton laid down a sacrifice bunt to score Conway and Glendon Price followed with an RBI single. After Woodruff recorded the second out of the inning, Landon Allison walked, followed by a Josh Simmons RBI single. Corey O’Shields followed with an RBI double. John Swetenburg was the ninth batter of the inning and reached on an error. Conway followed with his second single of the inning and an RBI. Woodruff finally got out of the inning on a strike out, but not before scoring six runs on five hits and two errors.

Clinton was able to add another run in the sixth for their final run of the evening. Woodruff scored three runs in the top of the seventh on two hits and an error. Bradley Templeton was pitching and picked the runner off of second base to end the game for an 8-4 Red Devil win.

“We have been struggling a bit and been oh for April. The last couple of weeks have been tough.” Coach Lee Atkinson commented. “I was proud of those guys getting the monkey off of our backs tonight.”

When asked about Tuesday night’s game against Union County, Coach Atkinson commented. “You can’t get a bigger game than tomorrow night. Tomorrow night’s victor will be the conference champion. It will be decided on this field tomorrow night.”

Clinton will host Union County in the second game of a doubleheader tomorrow for the conference championship. Game time is scheduled for 7:30.

WP- Morgan Summers

Save-Bradley Templeton

 Hitters Clinton:

O’Shields: 3-3, RBI, dbl

Templeton 2-2, 2 RBI