Stacy’s Dragons are putting polish on the diamond
Dragon Harrison Shelton tossed another gem for Clinton High School Monday night against Halls, going seven innings and taking a 9-2 win. (photo:Ken Leinart )
“When I came here four years ago, I told the boys that if they wanted to be good, be competitive, they were going to have to beat the Centrals, the Farraguts, the Hallses, The Powells and the Andersons,” Stacy said after the Dragons toppled Halls 9-2 Monday at home. “I’m really pleased with the effort and I’m really excited for them for the way they’re playing.”
The coach definitely had plenty to be happy about Monday night as the Dragons (11-7 overall, 3-0 in District 4-AAA) started fast and scored six runs in the bottom of the first inning.
From there, the Dragons never looked back.
“This was a big win for us, a great team win,” Stacy said.
The top of the Clinton batting order sizzled against the Red Devils, the defending district regular-season and tournament champions.
Leadoff man and third-baseman Cam Britton went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a pair of runs. Shortstop Sam Raley was also 2-for-4 and scored a run.
Harrison Shelton, who batted fifth against Halls, had a hit and a run, and drove in a pair, while Jackson Stiltner, the Dragons’ No. 7 hitter, went 2-for-4 with a double, a run and two RBIs. Jayce Mack also came up with two hits as CHS picked up production from throughout its lineup.
Stacy said Clinton made a bit of a change in its approach to batting practice.
“We were taking on-field batting practice and that’s nice, but we’ve changed our approach a little and we’ve been going into the cages,” Stacy said. “We’ve been going in there for about an hour and an hour-and-a-half and we’ve been working on the small stuff.
“The kids are buying in, and it’s all starting to pay off.”
Shelton posted another solid pitching performance as he threw a complete game. He surrendered a pair of unearned runs, nine hits and one walk. He struck out six Red Devils on the night.