Hammond catcher Michael Collins tags out Heathwood Hall’s Monty Todd at home plate. Photos by Mike Maddock A defensive battle between the Heathwood Hall Highlanders and Hammond Skyhawks stretched into four innings, but the home team’s ability to capitalize on small mistakes in the fifth was the difference in the baseball game as the Skyhawks emerged 6–1 winners on April 6.

“That seems to be our MO for the year,” said Heathwood Hall coach Ashley Farr. “We keep it close in the early innings, but then something happens. Today, we kicked the ball around, and they got the big hits when they needed it.”

Both complete–game pitchers, Whit Hensley for Heathwood Hall and Andrew Lamb for Hammond, kept getting out of trouble in the early innings as the two teams remained scoreless through three frames. In the fourth, Heathwood Hall finally broke through when Hensley smashed a solid double to center, advanced on a passed ball, and scored on a full–count single by junior second baseman Derek Kaczmarski.

Hammond second baseman John Allen Babson tries to corral a ground ball as Heathwood Hall’s Walker Sojourner leaps to avoid him on his way to second base. In the bottom of the fifth, Hammond’s bats came alive. Sophomore Jackson Vause hit a first–pitch single to right field. Senior center fielder Gus Inabinet reached on a chopper, then sneaked to second on a continuation play. Junior Les Cotter smashed a single up the middle to score Vause and then stole second with Brooks Borders up to bat. Inabinet scored on the fielder’s choice to put Hammond ahead 2–1, and the Skyhawks put one more on the board with singles by senior shortstop Kyle Towles and sophomore John Allen Babson.

The Skyhawks put up three more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth when Vause reached on a fielder’s choice, Inabinet beat out a high throw at first, and Cotter was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Brooks then hit a rope to score Inabinet and Vause. Cotter scored the final run, and Lamb held the Highlanders scoreless in the seventh to end the game.

Hammond’s Andrew Lamb pitches against Heathwood Hall. Lamb struck out six and allowed just one run. Hammond coach Ray Derrick said he thought Lamb played well – despite hitting five batters – with six strikeouts and one walk, and said his young team rallied when it was needed.

“It was a good game, not his best,” Derrick said of his number one pitcher. “When we get it over the plate, we’ve been successful. When you give up eight to 10 walks a game, like we have done this season, you can’t beat anyone.”

Derrick said the Skyhawks (9–4, 4–1) put enough balls in play to win the game.

“We couldn’t find the holes at first, but then they started to get through,” he said. “We’re a young team but we're getting better.”

Farr was equally complimentary of Hensley’s game but said the support wasn’t there.

“He’s our number one bulldog, but we couldn’t get anything going for him,” Farr said. “We got runners on, and they got picked off.”

Heathwood (5–7, 2–4) will face Richard Winn April 8, while Hammond will meet Ben Lippen School April 12.