Griffins K-O Keenan

Stanley McManus dodges a little chin music.

The Fairfield Central Griffins baseball team ran their region record to a perfect 3-0 Friday evening with an 11-0 shellacking of the Raiders at Keenan.

Compton Walker worked all five innings in the run-shortened affair, striking out five Raiders while allowing four hits, one walk and one hit batter. Josh Jacobs took the loss for the Raiders, giving up five runs in four-plus innings of work on the mound. Jacobs was roughed up in the first inning as the Griffins plated four runs on just one hit. The Keenan righty issued four free passes and two wild pitches in the opening frame and got no help from an infield that committed two costly errors. Javarius Cook, Markell Whitaker, Stanley McManus and Ta’Quan Kelly all crossed the plate for the Griffins in the first, with McManus notching the only bona fide base hit.

Jacobs settled in in the second, stranding a pair of Griffins, and worked out of a jam in the third, stranding two more. After striking out the first two batters in the top of the fourth, Jacobs issued a walk to Walker, who stole second, went to third on an error and scored on a passed ball, upping the ante to 5-0. Jacobs faced just one batter, Brandon Adams, in the fifth, who accepted Jacobs’ 10th walk of the night. Brandon Martin came on in relief to get the first two outs of the inning, followed by Marley Poole, who notched the final out, but by then the wheels had come complete off the Raiders’ machine. Martin and Poole combined to surrender six runs, two walks and two hit batters while giving up just one hit, an RBI single by Chris Raley. Three wild pitches and a pair of infield errors added to the Keenan woes.

After giving up a single to start the bottom of the first, Walker promptly picked Jake McCord off first base to record the first out. Walker then nicked Josh McCollum, sending him down to first base, before retiring the rest of the side. Walker breezed through the second and third innings, then labored somewhat in the fourth as the Raiders mounted their only legitimate threat of the night. Keenan put together back-to-back one-out singles in the fourth, but Walker recovered, striking out Martin and forcing Poole to knock a dribbler into the glove of first baseman Chris Boyd, who recorded the put-out.

Jarvis Kennedy went 1-for-3 with two RBIs for the Griffins. Chris Raley was 1-for-2 with an RBI, a sacrifice and a run. Cook and Whitaker each scored a pair of runs for Fairfield Central.

Friday night’s win was the second in as many days for Walker, who worked three innings of relief March 14, earning the win over Richard Winn Academy, 7-3. Walker also went 2-for-4 at the plate Thursday with a home run, a single, two RBIs, three stolen bases and three runs scored. Stanley McManus was a home run shy of the cycle, going a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBIs.

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