RINGGOLD, Ga. — Though a 13-3 baseball game would appear to be one in which the outcome did not come down to a play or two, Ringgold’s Region 6-AAA win over Ridgeland on Tuesday was the exception.
The Tigers made critical plays early that the Panthers didn’t, putting the visitors in an early 5-0 hole they never recovered from.
Ringgold scored three runs in the first inning against Ridgeland ace Alex Ridge on two errors and two hard-hit balls that were misplayed into hits. A two-run Ringgold third was aided by a missed tag at second base that allowed Matthew Crownover to score from second.
Meanwhile, Ringgold’s defense sparkled. Crownover dove to make a catch leading off the Ridgeland second; then shortstop Zack Lance made a nice running catch into medium left field to rob Ridge of a hit. The Tigers (11-3, 2-0) later turned a double play to help Colton Cross get out of a possible jam.
“We made a few plays, especially early when the game was in doubt,” Ringgold coach Brent Tucker said. “In the second when Zack made that play at short and then Matthew caught one in center where the wind was playing tricks with the ball, those were huge because it solidified our lead. On the other side, we were able to take advantage of some mistakes and put early runs on the board.”