Morrill, Wadford spark Suwannee to playoff victory
Published 10:24 am Wednesday, May 9, 2018
- Hueston Morrill pitched six sharp innings on Tuesday to help the Bulldogs top Bishop Kenny and advance to a regional semifinal.
LIVE OAK — Hueston Morrill and Trett Wadford have stood tall for Suwannee High all season. Playing in a tense first-round playoff game on Tuesday, they came through once again to keep the Bulldogs’ season going.
Morrill pitched six shutout innings with eight strikeouts and Wadford delivered a bases-clearing triple in the fifth inning to lead SHS to a 4-0 win against Bishop Kenny.
In a scoreless game, Wadford lined an 0-2 pitch into the gap in right-center field to score Morrill, Marquis Jones and Dalton Croft.
“I was going to sit on a curveball, but he threw me a fastball and I jumped all over it. It boosted our confidence and brought up the intensity and energy on the bench,” said Wadford, who was in fourth grade the last time Suwannee won a playoff game in 2011.
“The key for us is knowing we’re fighting for our lives. If we lose, we’re done. Nobody wants to go home.”
The hard-throwing Morrill found success early with his off-speed pitches and stuck with a steady dose of breaking pitches to keep the Crusaders off-balance. He ran into a little trouble in the third inning when Nick Riscigno and Colby Halter singled to start the frame.
But Morrill retired the next two hitters. And then with two outs, Bo Bonds made a nice play at shortstop to end the inning. Bonds fielded a high chopper from Tucker Talbott and fired on the run to first base to keep Bishop Kenny (19-9) from scoring.
Bonds also had an RBI single and came on to pitch the final inning, striking out two.
“Hats off to Hueston and Bo. In high school, the separator is pitching. I’ve got two guys I’ll put up against anybody,” said Suwannee coach Justin Bruce.
Jones finished 2-2 with a walk. Ronnie Layton added two hits for the Bulldogs,
UP NEXT: Suwannee (16-11) hosts Bolles on Tuesday, May 15 in a regional semifinal.
| R | H | E | ||||||||
| Bishop Kenny | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Suwannee | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | – | 4 | 7 | 0 |
Morrill — 0-3, BB, 1 run — 6 innings pitched, 5 hits, 0 runs, 8 strikeouts
Wadford — 1-3, triple, 3 RBIs, 1 run
Bonds — 1-2, BB, RBI — 1 inning pitched, 1 hit, 2 strikeouts
Jones — 2-2, 1 run, BB
Croft — 1-2, 1 run, BB
Layton — 2-3, double
