Royals Streak
Alive at 5
By Nathan McShinsky

Rochester's Caitlyn Cutting attempts to get the Twinfield runner while Desiree Bourassa is available for a wild throw. The two teams played a double header last Saturday. (Herald / Joyce Hunt)

The South Royalton Royals won two more games this week to bring their overall record to 8-3 after winning five straight. SoRo won a big game on the road on Friday at Hardwick vs. Hazen to keep their away win streak alive at three-plus years and then won their last regular season home game Tuesday night vs. Thetford.

Win At Hazen 

On May 18, the Royals took the trip up to the Hazen Union High School and came away with an extra innings win, as it took them eight innings to prevail. Hazen started off the scoring in the first inning when they scored what would be their only two runs of the game in the bottom of the first. The Royals just kept coming and piece-by-piece brought a run in, one in the third, and another in the fifth, to tie the score. The Royals took the 3-2 lead in the top of the eighth, which was the way the score stayed. 

In the third inning Tyrell Manning had a one-out single, stole second, and then scored on a base hit to right-center by cousin Tyler Manning, making it a 2-1 ball game. In the fifth inning Nate McShinsky had a one-out single up the middle, stole second and also scored off of a Tyler Manning hit but this time Tyler was credited with a triple as he made the last out trying to stretch the hit into a home run. Tyler, who also pitched the game, scored the go-ahead run in the eighth after he had his second triple of the night. Miles Ellis plated him with a double to left. 

Tyler, who pitched the complete game, finished the deal in the bottom half of the eighth, 1-2-3. He threw 129 pitches over those eight innings facing 30 batters, fanning nine of them while allowing six walks and three hits, one after the first inning. 

Win Vs. Thetford 

On Tuesday, May 22, the Royals hosted Thetford Academy as SoRo celebrated Royals’ senior night. It was the last regular season home game for five Royal seniors, McShinsky, Darren Slack, Kris Ferris, Trevor Webster, and Dale Manning. The seniors got to celebrate with a win on their night, which was the icing on the cake.

Thetford was the first to score with one run in the first inning but the Royals came back in the bottom of the first and scored three. In the third the Panthers scored two more runs to tie the score at 3-3. The Royals answered with another run in the third to make it 4-3, and that was all that Royals pitcher McShinsky would need. The Royals added an insurance run in the fifth and sixth innings to make it a 6-3 ball game. 

McShinsky threw a complete game on his senior night, throwing 92 pitches, facing 28 men, fanning six of them with two walks, five hits, and three runs. He faced just 13 batters over the final four innings, throwing 35 pitches in those four innings. Another senior, Webster, helped McShinsky's cause going 2-3 with an RBI and a run on the offense while playing excellently in right field for the second straight game, making key outs in both games. The third senior, Dale Manning, had a two-RBI single in the first to give the Royals their first lead of the game. 

The Royals (8-3) end their season this week, having completed the game at Rivendell on Wednesday that had to be rescheduled from last week when it was 4-2 in the top of the fourth before lightning. Today, Thursday, May 24, they play at Peoples Academy before going to Centennial Field on Saturday to play Blue Mountain. SoRo finishes the season at Randolph on May 28, at 2 p.m.

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