Walton cooks, Cozart cleans up (at the plate) in Wolves win
Newsome senior Wade Walton struck out 13, allowing one run on one hit as the Wolves defeated Plant City 9-1 on the road.
By Jarrett Guthrie, Editor
PLANT CITY – Newsome senior Wade Walton said he’d been thinking of his first regular season start on the mound since the end of last summer, so you’d think maybe he’d have stretched out the moment a bit more.
Instead, the High Point signee pitched like he’d left the stove on at home, burning things down with his fast ball and adding a few breezes to the chilly night with a swing-and-miss curve. Walton delivered 75 pitches in six innings of work, striking out 13 and allowing just one hit as Newsome left Plant City with a 9-1 win.
“I was ready to go,” Walton said. “I’ve been anticipating this night since the summer ended. I honestly haven’t felt that great out there in a long time.”
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Walton struck out the side in the home-first, and his offense responded with a five-run second inning as things spun out early for Raiders starting pitcher Wellington Hehn.
The first two Newsome hitters singled as Hehn fought through the ugly inning, which included an error behind him, a balk and two wild pitches that each brought in a run, and two free passes.
“You win a lot of baseball games when your offense plays like that,” Walton said.
Sophomore Ocean Cozart went 4-for-5 in Newsome’s win, including this two-run double in the sixth.
Hehn, a FAMU commit, added two more scoreless frames to his night, finishing with seven strikeouts.
Plant City senior pitcher Wellington Hehn.
Walton on the other hand retired the first five he faced (four on punchouts) before yielding his only hit of the game, a home run to the short porch in right from Raiders senior Aiden Bean. Bean was the only Plant City hitter who didn’t fall victim to a Walton K.
Plant City’s Aiden Bean approaches home after his solo home run in the second inning.
“I just went out and attacked with fastballs early and didn’t allow them to get into too many deep counts,” Walton said. “First inning, I wasn’t trying to get big swings with my curveball, but once I cycled through the lineup I worked it in and got those swings and misses.”
Newsome’s Drew Mega was 2-for-3 and scored three runs.
But the 6-foot-5 right hander wasn’t the only Newsome (1-1) player who decided to put on a show, as sophomore Ocean Cozart found dry land all around the outfield and posted a 4-for-5 night at the plate. Cozart, making his second varsity start, would pick up line drive hits in his first four at-bats and would score what would prove the deciding run in the second inning.
“I tried to stay through it, stay connected and drive the ball,” Cozart said. “It was great to come out and get a win in Plant City. I really like playing here.”
Braden Moon pulled his hands in and turned on a pitch, crushing a home run to left center in the seventh inning. The Wolves senior had the game’s first hit and was 2-for-4.
The Wolves got a 2-for-3 night from leadoff Drew Mega, who scored three times, and a 2-for-4 game from senior catcher Braden Moon, who crushed a two-run homerun to left center.
Plant City (1-1) continues its early-season homestand by welcoming district foe Bloomingdale next Tuesday; and Newsome will host its down-the-street neighbor Riverview on Tuesday.
#9 Newsome 9, Plant City 1
N 050|002|2 – |9|10|0
P 010|000|0 – |1|1|2
W – Walton (1-0); L – Hehn (0-1)
2B – Cozart (N); HR – Moon (N); Bean (P). Records – N (1-1); P (1-1).
