The Capital City Cavaliers completed their second sweep of the summer baseball season in as many tries on Tuesday evening, beating Hallsville JV 3-2 in seven innings in Game 1 and 6-5 in five innings in Game 2.
Capital City found ways to punish the mistakes of its opponent, as the Cavaliers had just nine hits total across both games.
"They battled," Capital City coach Brett Skinner said. "We've been on the wrong side of those one-run games in the past, so it was good to see the guys battle and be able to close out a game, two games. So we took a step in the right direction tonight."
Caydin Engelbrecht, who started on the mound in Game 1 and finished the day 5-for-6 with five singles, a run scored and an RBI, led off the second inning with a single inside the third-base bag and moved up on a wild pitch. Cooper Rowden moved him over with a sacrifice bunt and Carlos Ayala brought him in with a two-out infield single.
After Preston Pinet reached on an error and both advanced into scoring position on a bad pickoff attempt at first base, Ayala scored on another wild pitch. Jaden Chapman walked to put runners on the corners, and then a well-executed double steal saw Pinet score to make it 3-0 Capital City.
Those were the only three runs the Cavaliers would need in the first game.
Engelbrecht was smooth on the mound, striking out eight in five innings of work, three looking, while scattering three hits and three walks. He had help from his defense, as a 7-5 putout in the third inning caught an aggressive runner and preserved a 3-1 lead.
In the second and fourth innings, Engelbrecht gave up a one-out double to the same batter, Hallsville's five-hole hitter, and stranded him at second base both times with back-to-back strikeouts.
"He was big for us," Skinner said of Engelbrecht. "He set the tone, went out there, got several quick outs, and that allowed us to come in and get ahead early and kind of settle down and play the rest of the game."
Pinet came on in the sixth inning and, with the bases loaded and one out, the Indians made it 3-2 with a sacrifice fly to center. But an Ayala-Chapman-Ben Turner relay made it an 8-6-5 double play as Capital City again threw out an aggressive baserunner trying to tag. Pinet induced a popout to second to end the game, and the Cavaliers took the first game with just four hits and three walks.
As the visitors in Game 2, Capital City struck first, as Chapman led off with a walk and Brock Miles followed with a double. Turner's sac fly put the Cavs on the board and Engelbrecht's single made it 2-0. Capital City led 4-1 entering the bottom of the second inning, but Hallsville answered with three runs to tie the game, then scored in the bottom of the third to take a 5-4 lead.
Both teams went quietly until the top of the fifth. Facing a time limit which would end the game after five no matter what, the Cavaliers loaded the bases with none out thanks to walks from Brett Kuebler and Turner and a single from Engelbrecht. Kuebler scored the tying run on a wild pitch and Turner scored the go-ahead run by breaking for home on a snap throw down to third and beating the throw back.
Ayala, who allowed one run in three innings of relief, struck out the first batter he faced in the bottom of the fifth. The next batter singled, but was caught stealing second, and after another single a lineout to third ended the game.
No spring season meant new squads like Capital City's had to develop their chemistry on the fly, and after a month of working at it, things have started to click for the Cavaliers.
"It takes some time," Skinner said. "We've had some heart-to-hearts with some kids, but we finally had some leaders step up and understand how to lead, and I think that's been the most beneficial thing."
Capital City hosts Southern Boone for a doubleheader at 6p.m. Thursday.