Norwood baseball beats good Ava team, 1-0

The Norwood Pirates’ baseball team entered this week’s Class 1, District 1 Tournament after dropping five of their last six games during the regular season schedule.
The lone big win came over a now 17-7 Ava squad, 1-0, in a pitcher’s duel.
Laken Coatney tossed a complete-game gem as he gave up no earned runs on two hits with 10 strikeouts and three walks.
Coatney also helped his own cause at the plate as he hit an RBI single to score Pierce Lawson for the team’s only run in the fourth inning.
In their final regular season game at Gainesville, the Pirates fell to the now 21-4 Bulldogs, 13-3.
Caden Black had two RBIs and one run scored; Payton McCune had one RBI; while both Holten Lopez and Coatney scored one run.
Carder Kelly tossed three innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Black tossed two innings and gave up six earned runs on seven hits and one walk.
Two days earlier, Bakersfield scored four runs in the final at-bat to complete a rally for a 13-12 victory.
Norwood’s offense had 16 hits, but their defense did make five errors in the loss.
Coatney led the Pirates’ offense with four hits, four RBIs and one run scored; Lopez had two RBIs and one run scored; Kelly added one RBI and scored three times; Wyatt Bolfing had one RBI; and both Carson Vaughan and Lawson scored three times.
Vaughan tossed three and a third innings and gave up three earned runs on five hits with three strikeouts and two walks.
Lopez tossed two innings and allowed one earned run on three hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Lawson tossed one and a third innings and gave up one earned run on two hits with two strikeouts and three walks.
Norwood’s record is now 11-10 overall.