For five innings, it was Dillon Miller’s stage during Woodlawn’s first-round game against Conway Christian on Thursday in the Class 2A baseball state tournament.
Miller held Conway Christian to four hits during his 4 2/3 innings on the mound and blasted a three-run home run in the first inning. Those two factors helped Woodlawn to a 9-6 win at Taylor Field.
The Bears (31-3) got their runs early, really early. Trey Hankins and Jacob Richardson led off the game with back-to-back hits and Miller sent the second pitch he saw over the scoreboard in left field for the 3-0 lead.
“That’s a big home run,” Woodlawn coach Tommy Richardson said. “When you score early, the kids get loose. The team that plays loose usually wins.”
Conway Christian (27-8) pitcher Chandler Ferrand settled down from that points and nine of his next 10 batters. Ferrand went six innings and struck out two batters and walked one.
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Conway Christian coach Shane Davis said Ferrand pitched well except for one pitch.
“That first inning, he made one bad pitch in three innings and it resulted in a home run,” he said. “We hung a breaking ball to the wrong batter, one of the best hitters in Class 2A.”
Miller was just as effective, though, as it took 10 pitches before he even threw a ball to a batter. By that time, it was the fourth batter of the game and he struck out two batters on three pitches each.
Miller just kept dealing, too, as he struck out seven batters in his 4 2/3 innings of work. However, Miller motioned to coach Richardson in the fifth inning after 75 pitches that his arm was getting sore.
“Dillon pitched well, just arm got tired and ready to come out,” Richardson said. “Pitched well and hit well, was just locked in and ready to go. That’s what we got to do every day.”
Bret Boyd came in and walked a batter, gave up a hit and went to a three-ball count before Richardson pulled him for Gavin Johnston.
“I wanted to Bret to throw a couple there, but he struggled with his control a little bit,” Richardson said. “He really wasn’t loose, I don’t think. He will be ready to come in next time and throw strikes.”
Woodlawn had a 6-0 lead going into the fifth inning after Ryan Dorsett, Blake Brown and Hankins all drove in a run in the fourth inning.
But Conway Christian cut into the lead with three runs in the fifth inning until Johnston struck out Brandon Helms to stop the bleeding.
In the sixth inning, Woodlawn received some help from Conway Christian to put three more insurance runs on the board. The Bears scored two runs on wild pitches and another scored because of an error for a 9-3 lead.
“That’s nice and anytime you can get free runs, I will line up and take them all day long,” Richardson said.
The three runs proved useful as Conway Christian scored three runs in the seventh inning.