Lennard rolls past Sumner, 12-4
By Bob Bellone, Senior Staff Writer
RIVERVIEW – Lennard right-hander Carter Payne didn’t need much help during a 12-4 victory at Sumner on Monday, but he got plenty.
From both sides.
For their part, the host Stingrays contributed five errors to go along with seven walks, three hit batsmen and an assortment of other mishaps.
Among its 13 hits, Lennard (10-7) got two apiece from five players: Trey Miranda, Logan Covey, Alex Brazer, Adrian Camacho, and Tim Mendizabal.
Payne was dominant while surrendering only two singles through four scoreless innings. The senior worked through some trouble in the fifth, however, when Sumner cut a four-run advantage in half.
A leadoff double by Brenden Rodriguez, a hit batter and a Zach Hutchinson single filled the bases with ‘Rays with one out. Payne then sandwiched two of his three strikeouts with a pair of walks, all he would issue in the game, to make it 4-2.
“They came at the worst time,” said Payne, who was lifted with two away in the sixth. He allowed three runs, two earned, and five hits.
Payne was especially eager to take the mound against Sumner, a third-year program led by former longtime Lennard coach Kennedy Duran.
“It was definitely a game that he really wanted to pitch from the start of the year,” said Longhorns coach Victor Martinez, a former assistant to Duran, “so we were going to let him get out there and throw it and get out of there, and he did. I’m proud of him.”
Lennard senior Alex Brazer.
The highlight of the night was a massive solo home run off the bat of Brazer over the towering center-field fence in the sixth.
“I was looking for something I could hit,” he said. “I just missed the first pitch, and I had a feeling he was going to come back with something off-speed. I saw it, and you saw what happened.”
Sumner (10-8) collected seven hits, including two each by Manny Ramos, Sebastian Peralta and Rodriguez, who led off the sixth with another two-base hit.
“We definitely get up for this game every year,” Brazer said. “Obviously, we know a lot of people over there, so we definitely come out with a big chip on our shoulder.”
⚾⚾⚾⚾
Lennard 12, Sumner 4
L 010|302|6 – |12|13|2
S 000|021|1 – |4|6|5
W – Payne; L – Charland
2B – Rivera, Medizabal (L); Rodriguez 2 (S); HR – Brazer (L). Records – L (10-7); S (10-8).
