Chris Whitaker
MACON — Collin Holloway pitched a complete game, and Southland managed to put the ball in play late in the game to come out with a 3-1 win at Stratford Tuesday night.
Holloway allowed four hits and struck out four, and the Raiders broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the sixth.
"It was a good win, especially after losing against George Walton late in the game," said coach Tim Goodin. "Collin did a good job throwing strikes, and the defense played good behind him."
Brandon Ray's RBI-double gave Southland (2-1) a 1-0 lead in the first, and Stratford tied in the bottom half off a Raider error.
Zach Pouliot's fielder's choice and Alan Maples RBI-single put the Raiders up for good at 3-1.
Luke Alexander led the Raiders with two hits.
"One of the biggest things, we only had two strikeouts," said Goodin of his team that had eight in each of the first two games. "That was a big improvement. It was also a pretty good defensive game. Both teams made a lot of good plays. We hit the ball hard, and I got a couple of guys thrown out trying to be aggressive on the bases. It was a good baseball game."
After failing to score after the third inning of the first two games, Goodin said it was a good sign to see Southland deliver in the sixth.
"It didn't look like we would score tonight," he said. "We had a couple of chances. We had the bases loaded in the fourth, and it looked like we were still snakebit, but we kept pecking away. I hope this can build a little confidence and a little character and get us going."
Southland plays at Sherwood at 4:30 p.m. Thursday and at Brookwood at 5 p.m. Friday.
