Murchison has perfect day for Grace in win
Mar. 21—St. David's School of Raleigh has gotten off to a slow start this baseball season. The last thing the Warriors needed was a game against Grace Christian. But that is what they got on Tuesday night.
The Crusaders led from start to finish and won their fourth game in a row, routing St. David's 15-2 in a game that was called after four and a half innings due to the mercy rule. Grace (5-1) scored multiple runs in every inning in which it came to bat. The team had 10 hits and drew nine walks, with center fielder Matt Murchison going 2-for-2 with two walks, two doubles, and scoring all four times he batted.
Grace treated this as a "bullpen game" and used four different pitchers. Wesley Clewis started the game and was scoreless for three innings, allowing four hits with three strikeouts. Jaxon Wade, Jimmy Zimmerman and Will Morrison were each used to get two outs after that.
The visitors used an error and two hits to load the bases on Clewis with two out in the top of the first, but he whiffed the last batter of the inning on three pitches to get out of the jam. In the bottom of the first, Camron Seagraves led off with a single and then Murchison walked. Grace brought both of them home, thanks to a groundout by Alex Pena Jimenez and a sacrifice fly by Ethan Bunce.
The Crusaders got five more runs in the second, after a leadoff walk to Connor Woods followed by a Cole Faulk single. Nolan Harper followed them with a sacrifice bunt that the Warriors misplayed so badly that both runners scored and Harper made it to second base. He then stole third base and Seagraves brought him in with a sacrifice fly.
However, Grace wasn't finished. Murchison walked and then Boaz Harper lined a 2-2 pitch over the right-field fence for a 7-0 lead.
In the third, Seagraves singled and Murchison doubled with one out. A walk-fest followed, and the Crusaders scored four times without getting any more hits. St. David's got two in the top of the fourth to make it an 11-2 game.
Nolan Harper, Seagraves, and Murchison started the Grace fourth with three straight doubles, and then Boaz Harper and Pena Jimenez had two straight singles. Grace scored four more times and then ended the game by holding St. David's scoreless in the top of the fifth.
Seagraves went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI, and Boaz Harper was 2-for-3 with a walk, three runs scored and two RBI.
Grace will travel to Pikeville and play head coach Rob Wooten's alma mater, C.B. Aycock (5-1), tonight at 6 p.m.
