DHS Baseball: Warhawks earn first win under new coach

The Daleville Warhawks (1-10) snapped a nine-game losing streak to start this season in the first game of a doubleheader with Pike County on March 21 as new head coach Gregory McDonald took the helm.

McDonald has served as an assistant coach with Daleville this season but after former head coach Barry Gardner departed Daleville last week to take a position as an assistant football coach at Vernon High School in Florida, McDonald was named interim head coach of the baseball program.

McDonald said that he and his assistant coaches gathered the players after Gardner’s departure and told them that it was time to get back to just having fun on the field.

“My goal is just for them to play team ball and enjoy it,” McDonald said. “They really weren’t enjoying the game because they weren’t winning. I told them to go out there like they did when they were young playing backyard ball.

“Just go out there and have fun and enjoy it. Don’t worry about errors or anything like that. Just play.”

McDonald said that he felt like his team was more focused against Pike County than they had been all season.

“They played more focus,” McDonald said. “We just ask them to go out there and have fun and give us 110-percent everyday and leave their heart out on the field and the winning will come.”

The Warhawks exploded for a 26-18 win over Pike County in the first game before falling 14-8 in the second.

Daleville, which has struggled for much of the season at the plate, put it all together in game one with 17 hits as a team.

Casey Moore led the Warhawks at the plate going 4-for-4 with a homerun and four runs, while Blake Moore went 4-for-5 with two runs and Jordan McDonald went 3-for-6 with three runs.

Cortez Buckhalter also went 2-for-3 with four runs, while Dylan Beal went 2-for-4 with four runs and Gabe Gordon went 2-for-2 with three runs.

Myles Paris scored four runs, while Sincere McKenzie and Nick Deurst scored one run each.

Casey Moore also earned three strikeouts on the mound, while Jordan McDonald had one strikeout.

In game two, Casey Moore again led the way at the plate going 3-for-3 with two runs, while Buckhalter went 2-for-2 with two runs.

Jordan McDonald, Myles Parris, Blake Moore, Dylan Beal, Gordon and James Adkins each had one hit. Parris scored two runs, while Beal and Jordan McDonald had one run each.

Blake Moore struck out one batter on the pitching mound, while Jordan McDonald and Beal each struck out two batters.