There’s more than one way to get a batter out and two contrasting methods were on display as ACA tangled with Stanhope Elmore in the opening game of the FCA Jason Armstrong Tournament. Starting pitcher, Hunter Barfoot used movement and change of speeds while the hurler for the Mustangs tried to throw it through his catcher on almost every pitch. Barfoot matched zeroes for four innings although the score read 1-0 in favor of Stanhope. The Mustangs were the beneficiary of a blown call at first in the third which resulted in their first run. If umpires were assessed runs for bad calls, the first run of the game would have been charged to the one in the field. In the fifth, Stanhope Elmore hit two solo shots to extend the lead to 3-0.
Neither team recorded a hit until the botched call at first which produced the first safety of the game for the Mustangs. The Eagle’s bats were silenced by the opposing pitcher as the Eagles never had more than one base runner on in an inning. ACA only had two real shots to score but came up empty both times. In the second inning, Ari Bowman was hit by a pitch and after a stolen base was moved to third on a groundout by Jud Graham. Next, William Milner hit a grounder to second, but with the infield playing in, Bowman was thrown out at the plate. In the sixth, and trailing by three runs, Hunter Barfoot singled to right with two outs, but Landon Nelson was thrown out at home to end the inning.
In a game where pitching and defense were going to have to shine, Alabama Christian played their best game of the year. However, the bats could not match the strong pitching performance of the Mustangs. Hunter Barfoot pitched five innings with two strikeouts and had the team’s only hit on the day. Mac Moorer pitched a scoreless sixth in relief. Eight different fielders recorded outs in the contest with just one error.
Alabama Christian will next play Holtville Thursday evening at Riverwalk Stadium.