SF gets job done in 10-1 win vs. Rockwood

Zach Clark did everything well for Southern Fulton's baseball team Wednesday afternoon.

In addition to a 3-for-4 hitting effort that included two doubles and three RBIs, Clark also fired a two-hitter that featured 17 strikeouts to lead the Indians to a 10-1 win over Rockwood in the quarterfinals of the District 5 Class A baseball playoffs.

"He was just throwing very well," Southern Fulton coach Dustin Fischer said. "He threw a lot of strikes, and had his breaking ball working good. His fastball and curveball were working, too, and it was good day to be pitcher."

The win places Southern Fulton (16-4) into a semifinal matchup with Shanksville (14-5) on Friday at 1 p.m. with a site to be decided.

Although the Indians held a lead for the entire game after scoring a run in the bottom of the first, it wasn't until the sixth inning that they really broke it open. SF scored six runs in the frame.

With one out, Kyle Smith and Tyler Unger got things started with back-to-back singles. After a flyout to leftfield, Zach Clark had a RBI single before Trent Rider drew a walk to load the bases. Carl Potter hit into an error that allowed two runs to score, and Tanner Elbin drove in two more with a triple. Branden Lynch added even more insurance with a full-count RBI single.

The biggest thing going in Southern Fulton's favor was that it finally got the bats going. The Indians finished with 12 hits, matching their season high. Dylan Gordon went 2-for-3, while Potter and Elbin were both 2-for-4.

"Honestly, we finally hit the ball well," Fischer said. "Our Nos. 1 through 6, those guys got their acts together, and we hit the ball hard. We had five extra-base hits, and could've had more that were caught or line drives that were an inch or two from being base hits."

The only run Rockwood (8-9) scored came off an SF error.