LONDON — With one swing in the biggest moment, Wilkelver Gaviria-Zuleta delivered.
Gaviria-Zuleta crushed a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning, breaking a tense deadlock and lifting South Laurel to a 4-2 win over crosstown rival North Laurel on Friday night.
In a game that had the feel of a postseason battle, both teams traded punches late before Gaviria-Zuleta’s blast proved to be the difference.
“Proud of our team tonight for finding a way to get the win,” South Laurel coach Trey Smith said. “It wasn’t our best overall game but sometimes you have to find away and thats what we did. Being able to win in different ways will benefit us down the stretch. I was very proud of our pitching tonight. Jacob Culler and Jackson Catching combined for great game. Brody Garland was also fantastic behind the plate tonight. Wilkelver stepped up in the eighth inning and delivered when we needed him to with the home run.”
South Laurel jumped out early, scoring two runs in the first inning but North Laurel answered in the sixth, tying the game at two apiece.
From there, both pitching staffs took over.
Jacob Culler was sharp for the Cardinals, striking out seven over six innings while allowing just two runs. North Laurel’s Eli Holt matched him pitch-for-pitch, keeping the Jaguars within striking distance before the game moved into the eighth inning.
After a quiet seventh, Gaviria-Zuleta stepped to the plate in the eighth and delivered the biggest hit of the night, driving a ball out for a two-run homer that gave South Laurel the lead for good.
Carter Kelley led the Cardinals with two hits while Reece Noble added a double as part of South Laurel’s five-hit effort.
For North Laurel, Cam Smith and Cam Hinkle each recorded hits while Holt added an RBI at the plate to go along with his strong outing on the mound.
