Friday night lights is often a term used in football but during this time of the year Friday night lights mean something else. It means baseball on Sam Martin Field.
Southern Standard used a big first inning at the plate and solid defense throughout the game to silence Fully Loaded, 8-2. Standard pitchers Levi Jones and Matthew Colangione threw strikes and got plays from their defense all over the field.
Southern Standard clinched the No. 1 seed in the tournament with a record of 6-1-1, with the tie game believed to be the only tie in Civic Center baseball memory.
The Southern Standard team was prepared to play and jumped out early in the top of the first inning. Alex Castaneda singled to lead off the game with a base hit. Matthew Colangione followed with his own single. Each runner advanced on a passed ball. After a strikeout for the first out of the game, Chase Newby drew a walk and Owen Clark was hit by a pitch and the first run crossed the plate for a 1-0 lead. Levi Jones crushed a pitch deep to the outfield for a double and cleared the bases and the score jumped to 4-0. Out two came and was followed by a huge double by Leo Castaneda and Jones scored to make it 5-0 before the final out.
In the bottom of the first, Fully Loaded picked up a quick pair of outs and when Kyler Robinson reached base he was left stranded.
The top of the second Blaine Gilley started the inning with a walk. After the first out Colangione singled for a base hit through the middle. Peyton Adams followed with a single and Gilley and Colangione crossed the plate and Southern Standard led 7-0.
In the bottom of the second, Fully Loaded showed signs of life. Jake Rains reached first base on an infield single. Jaxysn Patterson reached on a walk and each of the runners stole their way around to second and third base. Fully Loaded had two outs with two on base when Korey Smith jumped on a pitch and crushed a double through the defense and cleared the bases. Fully Loaded was on the scoreboard, 7-2.
William Gillespie reached base on balls after the first out was made. He got the green light and stole second and third base. A second out was made on a strikeout, but Dylan Stepp followed with a single and scored Gillespie for an 8-2 lead. Out three put Southern Standard back out in the field on defense.
Fully Loaded shot blanks for the remaining two innings and never really recovered from the first-inning assault by Southern Standard.
It was all Southern Standard in its final regular season game and they defeated Fully Loaded by a final score of 8-2.
Tournament action begins Tuesday night.