HOOTS TAKE TWO IN PIVOTAL SERIES

OXFORD, Al – Columbus came out the big winners on the weekend, sweeping the home and away series against the Monsters by scores of 5-4 and 12-4. Just two games remain between these two division rivals in the 2022 season.  

Game One: Columbus 5, Choccolocco 4 

Choccolocco (6-13) spotted the Chatt-A-Hoots (10-8) three runs in the first three innings after a couple of two-out errors opened the door for Columbus to take the early lead. With a 5-0 lead entering the 5th, the Hoots would then stumble a bit themselves. Consecutive walks to Jelani Howard and Wyatt Fooks to lead-off the inning paved the way for Jake Spivey to pick up his third RBI of the summer on a groundball to the right side. After the third walk of the inning was issued to William Kelley, Arty Leger would single home both Fooks and Kelley to cut the lead to 5-3.  

The Monsters would manage to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the ninth inning, but the three unearned runs given up after four errors proved to be too much for the Chocco’s to overcome as the Hoots took game one, 5-4. Leger, Kelley, and Brant Deerman were the only Monsters to record base hits in the loss.  

Austin Goode, David Cherwonuk, and Harris Burns tossed a combined six scoreless innings following the departure of starter, Garrett Telaga. The trio out of the bullpen allowed only four hits while striking out seven.  

Game Two: Columbus 12, Choccolocco 4 

Defensive letdowns were the storyline in game two of the weekend also, as six errors plagued the Monsters once again in the 12-4 loss at Golden Park. Choccolocco made the first cut in the second after stringing together back-to-back-to-back hits from Jelani Howard, William Kelley, and Dominic Scavone. Scavone, the Stetson University infielder, would double his season RBI total, bringing his total to four this summer.  

The one-run lead would soon be diminished however after a six-run bottom of the second inning from Columbus. The Monsters would show some fight and cut the lead to 6-3 after one run in the third and another in the fourth. But the error bug bit the Chocco’s once again, as three unearned runs came across to score in the fifth, followed by two more unearned runs in the sixth to make the score 11-3.  

William Kelley and Dominic Scavone both had productive nights at the plate. Kelley went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Scavone finished 2-for-4 with 2 RBIs. Of the 17 runs given up this past Friday and Saturday, 11 were unearned.

The next chance for the Monsters comes on Monday as they travel to Brookhaven to take on the Bucks First pitch is slated for 6:35 p.m. EDT (5:35 p.m. CDT).