Story and Photos
by Mike Maddock

Hammond's Emmett Richardson rounds third to score one of his two runs. Richardson went two for three.

The Augusta Christian Lions are the defending SCISA Class 3A state champions. The Lions hadn't lost a game since early last season until they visited Hammond Tuesday, April 11, 2006.

A young Skyhawk team found some timely offense and minimized mistakes to knock Augusta Christian off its throne and defeat the Lions 9-6 in a battle of region foes.

Hammond pitcher Punky DaSilva jumped on the Lions early forcing two straight ground balls to first baseman Chris Daniels, but with two outs, the Lion's Josh Whitaker drilled a double to left field. Then DaSilva hit Trey Crabill with a pitch, and Wayne House followed up with a bases clearing triple. House then scored on a balk by DaSilva, and the Lions appeared to be on a roll.

DaSilva settled down giving up only one run in the third and two in the sixth. He struck out five and allowed only five hits.

The Skyhawks did all their damage in the third and fourth innings.

Punky DaSilva struck out five and held the Lions to five hits. He also had a hit and scored two runs.

Alston James started the third with one of nine walks allowed by Lion pitchers. Emmett Richardson got one of his two singles, and Punky DaSilva loaded the bases with a bloop single to right field. Chris Daniels then singled to left field scoring James and Richardson.

James Wade's sacrifice bunt advanced DaSilva and Daniels to second and third respectively. Walker Inabinet then took first and loaded the bases when Lion pitcher Josh Sizemore hit him with a pitch; the first of two times Inabinet would get hit by a pitch.

Mills Lott and Kyle George then each drew walks scoring DaSilva and Daniels.

In the fourth inning, Chris Daniels had a bunt single sending Emmett Richardson and Punky DaSilva to second and third and loading the bases for James Wade. Wade then promptly bounced a double off the left-center field fence clearing the bases and giving the Skyhawks a 7-4 lead. They added two more to end the inning.

The Lions got two runs in the sixth inning but were shut down by relief pitcher Matt Alsaeedi in the seventh.

The Skyhawks huddle up and regroup after the Lions score three in the first.

Hammond head coach Ray Derrick said, "We were not playing our kind of baseball early, but we started playing defense, got some hits, and moved some runners. I thought we played pretty good."

The Skyhawks are in first place in SCISA Region II Class 3A with a record of 3-0-1. Their overall record is 7-4-1.

Matt Alsaeedi takes a cut. Alsaeedi came on in relief of DaSilva in the seventh. Christopher Daniels went two for four, scored twice, and had two RBIs. Hammond's James Wade watches a high fast ball. Wade bounced one off the fence in left-center field for a bases clearing double with the bases loaded in the fourth inning.

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