KAISERSLAUTERN, Germany — Gavon Byrd clubbed a grand slam in Saturday’s second game to help the Ramstein Rockets complete a 16-4, 15-7 sweep of the Kaiserslautern Red Raiders in high school-age baseball, according to Rockets’ coach Carey Tucker.
Byrd, who picked up the pitching victory in the first game, hit his bases-clearing blast in the second inning of the nightcap to stake the Rockets to an 8-0 lead and ease the way for winning pitcher Tyler Tucker. Tucker pitched three shutout innings, striking out four.
Rockets Andre Porterfield and John Collett each stroked two doubles in the romp; Ramzey Oakley drove in two runs for K-town.
Derek Sanchez, who went 3-for-3 and led off the game with a triple, Dan Garland and Scott Sublousky each drove in two runs in the nightcap.
The games were the last for each team before this week’s double-elimination European championship tournament scheduled for Friday-Monday at Ramstein and Pulaski Barracks in Kaiserslautern.
In other Saturday baseball:
Patch 8-10, Hohenfels 3-0: At Stuttgart, Quinton Austin and Justin Phelps claimed pitching victories in the sweep.
Randy Taylor was the hard-luck loser in the opener, according to Patch coach Shawn Phelps, pitching seven innings and giving up all eight runs, none of them earned. He allowed seven hits and struck out nine and was backed by the 3-for-4 hitting of John Leon and a 2-for-3 effort from Chris Elliott.
Phelps won the run-rule shortened nightcap, allowing just two hits and fanning seven. Phelps also had two hits, including a triple, and drove in three runs.
Justin Patrick drove in two runs in the contest.
Heidelberg 19-8, Mannheim 1-7: At Heidelberg, the Shane Close went three-for-four to back the two-hit pitching of Blake Langford in the opener.
In the nightcap, Heidelberg trailed by two runs in the final inning before Thonda Taylor laced a two-run double, stole third and scored the winning run on a squeeze bunt by Micha Owen.
Ben Jackson, who allowed just two hits and one earned run over six innings, got the victory.
