Middleton Rolls Over Knights

The Middleton High School baseball team improved to 8-4 on the season with a victory over Robinson High.

The final score was 8-1 with the Tigers racking up 16 hits. Middleton have been performing well offensively all season. Junior third basemen Dexter McCall has lead the way with a .541 batting average and a team leading 11 RBIs.

"We haven't had a game all season with less than ten hits," Middleton coach Vernon Slater said. "We've got plenty of offense.  Our biggest thing has been defense. The pitching is good but we have to play well behind them to win and that part is finally coming around."

Slater's team is beginning to click defensively having turned double plays in each of the last two games, something they hadn't been able to do previously.

Senior pitcher Eric Comstock got the start for the Tigers, throwing a complete game for the second time this season.

"He's been completing his games this year," Slater said. "He played summer ball and has been working hard on his game. I've had him for four years and I've watched him mature so much. He likes to battle so he's a good number one pitcher for us."

After winning a district title in 2007 in his first year as Middleton coach, Slater feels that this team is his best chance to win districts for a second time in the near future. With six seniors in the starting lineup, including his ace (Comstock), Slater knows that next year will be the beginning of a new cycle.

"It takes time because you have to build a team," Slater said. "Districts is always my goal and this is the year that we have built for. This is it. I feel like I have the best team overall and certainly the deepest lineup. I'm trying to get as much as I can out of these guys because it could be another four years before another group like this comes around again."