Parrott's offense off to hot start as pitching, defense comes together

As Arendell Parrott Academy works on its pitching and defense, the offense will continue to flourish.

After dropping their first two games of the season, a 12-6 victory Tuesday over Wilson Greenfield gave the Patriots their third straight win. So far, APA has averaged 9.8 runs per game, but has given up 30 to start the 2019 campaign.

After a pair of shutouts prior to the victory over the Knights (1-2), Patriots coach Robert Kravitz said it will take a team effort to limit the opposition.

“We’ve got a lot of arms, but we don’t have anyone who can mow guys down like Connor Bright or Graham Barefoot,” Kravitz said. “We will have to rely on defense and if guys can make plays, we’ll be alright on that end.”

Hunter Blythe had a strong start Tuesday, pitching five solid innings and giving up three runs. With the loss to Reynolds Barringer due to injury, Blythe said the remaining pitchers have to pick up the slack.

“(Tuesday) felt like I was getting redemption,” Blythe said. “We’ve got to step up and help out where we can.”

Kravitz said the Patriots will continue to do its part offensively as the other components come into fruition.

“Having Matthew Huntley leading off is big for us,” Kravitz said. “Usually, he can get on base to set the tone and then we have three guys in Jonah Beaman, Trey McLawhorn and Zach Vendemia who can mash the ball. We’re going to have to continue scoring like this to help take the pressure off the pitchers.”

APA showed its offensive prowess early, as Beaman hit a home run in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 1 before Huntley’s bases-clearing double highlighted a seven-run second, all with two outs.

“Offensively, we’ve been able to get what we’ve wanted, and that comes with quality reps in practice,” Huntley said. “Hopefully, we can continue this trend.”

The Patriots face Harrells Christian at home Wednesday before traveling Friday to play Fayetteville Christian.