As the regular season winds down, Trinity (Whitesville) is peaking at the right time – winners of two straight and five of their last seven. Last night was a culmination of their newfound success – a 10-0 shutout win over the Bluegrass Braves.
“We came out solid. The boys were at Union County the night before, and they came back ready to play,” Trinity (Whitesville) Head Coach Matt Wright said. “I thought their attitude was up and they were ready to play.”
Harrison Barnett was the driving force, driving in five runs and throwing three shutout innings in relief. Stepping into the box in the bottom of the first, Barnett drove a 3-1 pitch into right field for a two- run triple. In his next at bat in the third, he crushed a bases-loaded double into the centerfield gap for a then 6-0 lead. One of the Raiders’ most consistent bats all season long, he is hitting just south of .280 with 21 hits and 22 RBIs.
The offense scored 10 runs on nine hits, with Kayin Howard, Grant Howard, and Isaac Hernandez all driving in runs.
“I was pretty pleased with the bats,” Wright said.
RJ Cecil escaped an early first inning jam on the mound and finished with three shutout innings – handing the ball to Barnett in the fourth.
“RJ thought through some stuff, and it was kind of a tune-up start before District,” Wright said. “Harrison came in, and he hasn’t thrown a whole lot this year. He had some arm trouble early on, so despite not having a whole lot of innings, he threw it well.”
On the year, the Raiders are 15-12, a remarkable improvement from last year’s 8-16 record.
“When we first started the year, I told the boys they could be a special group,” Wright said. “It’s just a matter of time for them to believe in themselves. It’s easy for coaches for players to believe in their players, but it takes something else for the players to believe in themselves.”
The Raiders end the regular season this Thursday at Russellville, before facing off against top-seeded Butler County in the opening round of the 12th Distirct Tournament.
