Gabe Lillard Helps Lead Maroon Devils Past Black Knights
TeamFYNSports March 25, 2023
Photo courtesy of Joanna McMahan
Graham County, NC- The Swain County Maroon Devils got the best of the Robbinsville Black Knights yesterday, as they defeated their conference foe by a score of 17-2.
An explosive 9 run 6th inning helped the Maroon Devils end the game early, as Gabe Lillard, Bradyn Ruis, Aiden Southards, Lawson Woodard, Carter Hayes, and Malachi Cochran all moved runners across the plate with RBIs in the inning.
Robbinsville jumped out front first, scoring 2 runs in the bottom of the first inning, but the Maroon Devils pulled away for good after they answered with a five run second inning.
Gabe Lillard led the Maroon Devils at the plate, going 3-5 with a home run and 2 doubles. Lillard also was credited with 3 runs batted in.
Ronnie Griggs was nearly perfect on the mound for the Maroon Devils, as he was credited with a complete game win for pitching all 6 innings on Friday. Griggs allowed just 2 runs on 6 hits while striking out 5 Black Knight batters along the way.
Up next for Swain County will be an intense matchup vs rival Hayesville on Tuesday, March 28th.
So Sweet! Maroon Machine Will Host Sweet 16 Matchup VS Union Academy
Sports, Team FYN Sports, TeamFYNSports May 13, 2022
This Swain County baseball team is filled with some real DUDES, and these guys are working like a well oiled “Maroon Machine” right now.
Last night, a Will Jenkins single up the middle allowed the Maroon Devils to jump out to an early lead in their second round playoff matchup against South Stanly, and you could’ve closed the curtains after that. Swain was in control the whole way.
Swain County hurler Charlie Collins shut down the Rowdy Red Bulls, tossing 5.1 innings of 4 hit, 1 run, baseball while on his way to his 11th win of the season.
When you look at the Swain lineup, it’s easy to see why they’re in the position they are.
Charlie Collins has been “Charlie Workhorse” for the Maroon Devils all year, boasting an ERA that has hovered under 1.00 and striking out nearly 80 batters along the way.
Behind the plate, Carter Hayes has been huge. Hayes has an absolute cannon and always seems to come up big with his bat when you need him. The sophomores 33 RBI’s speak for themselves.
Gabe Lillard and Will Jenkins have anchored the corners of the Infield, flashing leather when they need to and combining for 58 hits on the year.
Sophomores Riley Winchester and Lawson Woodard have been Swain’s go-to combination of middle infielders this year and have filled their role perfectly.
Cameron Blankenship, Cooper Hyatt, and Carson Taylor are the “Devils” in the Outfield, and have a combined .800 fielding percentage.
The Maroon Devils stacked lineup will face their toughest test yet on Tuesday night when they host Union Academy. The #5 seeded Cardinals are ranked 5th in the West according to MaxPreps, while the #4 seeded Maroon Devils are ranked 8th. Union Academy defeated 6th ranked Christ The King on Thursday thanks to a walkoff hit from sophomore outfielder Nick Henry.
Union Academy Outlook
The pitching situation for Union Academy is hard to read. They don’t have one “star” on the mound from what can be seen looking at their roster. Garrett Brueke got the win (but not the start) in the Cardinals previous game vs Christ The King, only allowing 1 hit over the final 3.1 innings of the game.
Some guys to watch for when the Cardinals are at the plate are: Freshmen Beckett Gurian and Jeremiah Shine, and Seniors Seth Ballard and Ethan Diaz. Gurian leads the team in batting average (.446) and has been on fire since the playoffs started.
All-in-all, this should be a great matchup between two of the top teams in the state. Come on out to Bryson City on Tuesday and watch these guys duel.