Eastern Phantoms Edge Out Warriors in Thriller
The Eastern Phantoms survived a late scare to claim an 8-6 win over the Southern Hills Warriors on Thursday.
After building a 6-run lead early, the Phantoms had to withstand a Warriors comeback, who chipped away with an error, back-to-back triples, and a sacrifice fly to close the gap.
The Phantoms got the bats going straight away, piling on four runs in the first inning. Dion Nicholas doubled to open the scoring, Jensen Mortimer drew a walk to bring in another, Hudson Ostaszewskyj hit into a fielder’s choice that scored two, and Luke Mann grounded out to drive in a fourth. Alexander Hugo then added to the tally in the second with a sacrifice fly, stretching the lead to 6-0.
Noah Mills was strong on the hill for the Phantoms, throwing five innings and giving up just four hits and three runs (only one earned), while punching out nine batters. Hunter Gordon came on in relief to help secure the win. For the Warriors, Rylan Ottoway started and battled through two innings, conceding six runs (five earned).
At the plate, Noah Romeo and Nathan Hanks each picked up two hits for the Phantoms, while Hugo made his lone hit count, finishing with two RBIs. For the Warriors, Jaymee Ridley and Jaxon Valenti each managed two hits, and Thomas Massimini added a hit and two RBIs to keep them in the hunt.
In the end, the Phantoms’ early momentum proved just enough to hold on in a cracking contest.