MENDENHALL – Scott Votaw struck out 18 batters as LawrenceCounty defeated Mendenhall 4-2 in Division 6-4A baseball actionTuesday night. Votaw outdueled Mendenhall pitchers Timmy Pierce andNick Grantham to propel the Cougars to their sixth straightwin.

With the win, Cory Keyes’ Cougars improved to 7-2 overall, and4-0 in the division. Mendenhall fell to 3-1 in division play.

“It was one of those nights when you’re just glad the pitcher iswearing your jersey, and not theirs,” Keyes said. “We didn’t domuch at the plate tonight, and we didn’t have to do much in thefield. Scott took care of most of that.”

Each team got just 5 hits in the game. Through 3 innings, thegame was scoreless, with each team having just 1 hit. In the top ofthe fourth, LCHS grabbed a 2-0 lead, thanks largely to 2 Mendenhallerrors, and a Conner Oakes single.

Mendenhall got 1 run back in the bottom of the fourth, as TaylorTreddlie’s homer barely cleared Mendenhall’s shallow right fieldfence. It was 2-1.

It remained 2-1 until the top of the seventh, when LawrenceCounty put together 3 hits in a row. Lane Stephens led off with asingle. Ford Johnson followed with a double, and Willie Buckleydrove a run home with a soft single to center. Votaw followed thatwith a sacrifice fly, giving the Cougars a seemingly comfortable4-1 lead.

As it turned out, Votaw and the Cougars needed those insuranceruns. After Votaw struck out the first Tiger batter in the bottomof the seventh, Mendenhall’s Sanchez Cameron, Taylor Toney, andAntonio Magee put together consecutive singles, cutting the Cougarlead to 4-2 and setting up Mendenhall with runners on second andthird, with only 1 out. Votaw then struck out the final 2 Tigerbatters, preserving Lawrence County’s hard-fought victory.

While striking out 18 and limiting Mendenhall to 2 runs on 5hits, Votaw did not walk a single batter.

“This was a very tough game,” Keyes said. “Mendenhall’s pitchersthrew well, and the umpire had a very big zone. It wasn’t a goodnight for hitters on either side.”

Pierce was the tough-luck loser, working 3-plus innings. He andreliever Grantham gave up 5 hits, walked 3, and struck out 6.

Lawrence County and Mendenhall will close out their divisionseries with a varsity doubleheader at Jimmie Davis Park on Friday,starting at 5 p.m..