Du Quoin picks up blowout win overSparta 15-4

There wasn't much doubt for Du Quoin in Thursday evening's conference matchup with Sparta as the Indians plated nine runs in the first inning to help cruise to a blowout win over the Bulldogs, 15-4.<br />Tevin Lee led the way at the plate for the Indians, belting his third home run in four games and his fourth of the season as he went 2-for-3 at the plate with a team-high three RBIs.<br />Hank Stewart picked up the win from the rubber, tossing 3 2/3 innings while allowing four runs (0 earned) on four hits and four walks while striking out six.<br />Stewart worked out of a jam to open up the game, the closest the Bulldogs would come to a lead by a wide margin.<br />Stewart walked the first two batters he faced, but was able to regain his control and retire the next three batters on a pair of grounders and a strike out.<br />The Indian's offense took over from there. <br />Stewart and Tevin Lee led off the bottom of the first inning with back to back walks to get things started. <br />Braden Lee drove both home with a hard hit double to take the early 2-0 lead. <br />Jordan Edwards was hit on the next at bat and Ashton Smith followed up with an RBI single. <br />Sparta got its first out of the inning on the next at bat, but Blaine Bradley followed that up with an RBI fielders choice as Jordan Edwards slid under a tag at home on the play to extend the lead 4-0. <br />The Indians still did not let up from there, as T. Lee capped off the first-inning offense with a three-run home run off Sparta's second pitcher of the game. <br />Du Quoin tacked on three more in the second inning as Bradley, Bryce Clarry and Alex Zimmerman all came around to score on an error off the bat of T. Lee to extend the lead even further 12-0. <br />Sparta finally got on the board in the third inning with a run coming around to score after a one-out walk. <br />They followed up in the fourth inning with three more to pull themselves within single digits and no longer in slaughter-rule territory trailing 12-4, but that was short lived. <br />Du Quoin did its final damage in the bottom of the fourth inning as Bryce Clarry led it off with is first home run of the season.<br />Sparta retired the next two batters, but T. Lee came up with a one-out single, B. Lee reached on an error and Edwards knocked them both in to bring the lead back to double digits 15-4.<br />Bryzn Witcher who came on in relief for Stewart in the fourth inning walked the first two batters of the top of the fifth, but retired the next three on a pair of strikeouts and a fly out to seal the slaughter-rule win for the Indians, 15-4. <br />The Indians (9-5) will look to make it three wins in a row when they resume action Monday with another conference matchup at home, taking on Anna-Jonesboro at 4:30 p.m.