Byng pulls away late in road win over Kingston
KINGSTON — The Byng High School baseball team used a seven-run surge in the top of the sixth inning to pull away for a 19-9 win over Kingston in a playoff tune-up on the road Monday night. Byng improved to 16-12 heading into its Class 4A Regional Tournament that begins today at Stokes Field. The regional opens with Wagoner facing Miami at noon.
Byng will then play Miami at 2 p. m. , and the Pirates will meet Wagoner at 4 p.
m. Byng 19, Kingston 9 Byng raced to an early 7-0 lead before the host Redskins answered with five runs in the bottom of the second inning and three more in the third to take an 8-7 advantage. However, the Pirates responded by scoring 12 unanswered runs, highlighted by the seven-run eruption in the top of the sixth inning, to seize control.
Byng piled up 19 hits in the game, led by Kix Stephens, who finished a perfect 4-for-4 with a double and six RBIs. He was also hit by a pitch. Hagen Graham went 4-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs, while Brycen Smith finished 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a walk and three RBIs.
Preston Welch was 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, an RBI and four runs scored, and Lane McCarter added a 2-for-4 effort with three runs scored. Lane Alexander blasted a two-run homer in the top of the fourth inning — his third of the spring — that put Byng ahead for good at 9-8. He also drew two walks and scored twice.