Finishing in five

Maddodx Murphy is safe at home after a throwing error. PHOTO BY BRIAN BESCH

By Brian Besch
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Corrigan-Camden baseball took advantage of double-digit walks and strong pitching for an 11-1 win Tuesday over Alto on Polk County’s north side.

The Bulldogs were one of the county’s better teams last year and are on pace to repeat that success.

Maddox Murphy took a base on balls in the first inning, and with two outs, Brayden Dobson, Mason Murphy and Bayden Lawrence did the same to push in Corrigan-Camden’s first run of the contest.

Landry Nash and Cooper Kilgore started the second inning with walks, and Alto starter Keegan Davis was pulled after seven walks in an inning-plus of work. Michael Sullivan then greeted new pitcher Layden Rogers with an RBI-single. Brenden Shelley grounded into a fielder’s choice and Dobson walked. Mason Murphy also walked on a wild pitch that scored a run, and another came around to touch home on a throwing error at the plate. Bayden Lawrence grounded into a fielder’s choice and Bryce Lawrence brought in another run with an RBI-single. Batting a second time in the inning, Nash walked and Kilgore was hit by a pitch to load the bases, then Sullivan walked to bring home a run. After a new pitcher was inserted into the game, Maddox Murphy was hit in the helmet and jogged to first, scoring the eighth run of the inning. The Bulldogs led 9-0 after just two frames.

“Tonight, I thought a lot better of them than I had earlier in district games,” Corrigan-Camden coach Kevin Purvis said of his squad. “We played the 1A teams (earlier) and just looked a little sluggish and hadn’t been hitting the ball like we should. Tonight, my Bulldogs that I have seen throughout the year finally showed up a little bit against a pretty decent Alto team.”

In the third, Dobson doubled, Mason Murphy walked and the twins Bayden and Bryce Lawrence both grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring a run for the double-digit lead.

Shelley came on in relief for Sullivan after 3.2 innings of shutout ball. Other than a few Yellowjackets reaching scoring position, Sullivan had little trouble versus the Alto lineup.

Corrigan received a valuable insurance run in the fourth when Kilgore reached on error, Sullivan singled and Maddox Murphy moved the runner to third. A Shelley sacrifice grounder made the score 11-0 after four innings. Alto would get on the board in the fifth, scoring from third on a wild pitch. However, the Bulldogs secured the run-rule win after five.

“We finished last year strong and lost three great seniors, but we had the core coming back and we were plugging in two or three,” Purvis said of the team. “We are 13-3 right now, and I am pretty pleased, but hopefully there is a lot more in front of us.”

With the ‘Dogs reaching the third round of the postseason in 2023, the team is looking for even more in ’24. Purvis said district will be a big challenge with Cushing, Groveton and Douglass ahead. Groveton, considered the district favorite, brought back all nine starters from last year’s team.

“It is going to be a dogfight each week, day in and day out,” the coach said of district. “Pitching (has been a strength), which is usually not our strongpoint, but pitching has kept us in games. We are throwing strikes and playing defense behind it so far. I like our chances all the time. This is a scrappy bunch that will battle and compete, so I will take them up against anybody.”