Lindale Sweeps Baseball Doubleheader From Rival Van

LINDALE -- The Lindale Eagles needed a tune-up before district play begins next week.

After sweeping two games from Van, they got one.

Lindale took two games from the Vandals, 6-3 and 4-3, in a daytime doubleheader on Tuesday.

In Game 1, Lindale (10-5) lefty Sam Sitton hurled a complete-game gem, yielding three runs, on six hits with four strikeouts.

"Sam always puts us in a position to win,' said Lindale coach Russell Bowker. "He throws strikes, throws to the zone, and let's his defense make plays behind him. Every outing with Sam is a chance to win."

Jon French led the Lindale at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.

"Jon is our catalyst," Bowker said. "He's our leadoff man because he instantly puts pressure on the pitcher, great on the basepaths and just an outstanding defensive center fielder. He hustles; it's something we try to instill in all of our players. We're going to play hard, throw strikes and try to score just enough runs to win."

Van's Jacob Tobias sprints to first after hitting a ground ball during a doubleheader against Lindale on Tuesday in Lindale. (© Christopher R. Vinn, ETSN.fm)

Lindale got its first run when Ryan Dudley walked, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a single by Jesse Valdez. Valdez finished 2-for-2 with two RBIs, while Kyle Bond added two singles.

Valdez's RBI single in the bottom of the fourth pushed the Eagles' lead to 3-0. Then a French 2-run double in the sixth helped Lindale build a four-run lead, 5-1.

Van (7-7-1) answered with Christian Harris' run-scoring single in the sixth. Harris led Van, going 2-for-3 with an RBI. Christian Cole and Reid Hiler added run-scoring hits in the top of the seventh.

In the second game, Lindale relied on a pair of sophomore right-handers to shut down the Vandals and complete the sweep.

Nash Walters started and went 5 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs on five hits with three strikeouts. Chase Brown came in to nail down the final four outs for the save.

"We needed a close win," Bowker said. "We needed a game where we had to really buckle down and it was Nash's best outing of the year. We needed a big start and he delivered. Then, Chase has just been clutch. The pressure situations don't faze him; he just goes out there and throws strikes. We needed a win like this."

Lindale led 2-0 after four innings thanks to Dudley and Tate Coomer RBI singles. In the fifth, French scored on a wild pitch and that was followed by a Dudley run-scoring single, pushing Lindale's lead to 4-0.

Van responded.

After a Jacob Tobias opposite field, RBI single that chased Walters, Hiler delivered a two-RBI single, but was thrown out trying for a double, ending the Van threat.

Brown set Van down in order in the seventh to complete the save.

Lindale starts District 16-4A play at Whitehouse on Tuesday, while Van travels to Frisco to take on Bonham at Dr. Pepper Park on Thursday.