LONDON — Jackson Catching was in complete control from the first pitch.
The South Laurel sophomore tossed a complete-game shutout, allowing just four hits while striking out two, and the Cardinals broke things open with a big third inning to roll past Jackson County, 7-0, on Monday.
South Laurel (8-3) used a four-run third inning to take control, then added three more insurance runs in the fifth inning to put the game away.
“Proud of our boys tonight,” South Laurel coach Trey Smith said. “Jackson Catching was excellent on the mound going all 7 innings for us. Also some timely hitting got us the runs we needed to get the win tonight. Very proud of our team. “
Carter Kelley provided the biggest swing of the night, blasting a home run and driving in three runs to lead the Cardinals’ offense. Waylon Hensley added a triple, scored twice while Jacob Culler and Brody Garland each drove in a run.
Culler, Garland, Wilkelver Gaviria-Zuleta and Jackson Catching both added hits while Reece Noble scored once.
Jackson County (6-5) collected four hits behind Ethan Thomas (two), Dylan Gay and Michael Sparks.
Jackson County’s Ashton Clemons took the loss, allowing six runs (four earned) over four innings while Jackson Lakes provided two innings of relief.
