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By CODY LEIST

PDT Sports Writer

WHEELERSBURG — A mark of a good team can be measured in many different aspects.

The Wheelersburg Pirates were able to bat around in each of the first two innings of Friday’s SOC II home game against South Webster. The Pirates were able to give seniors Zac Flanagan and Jonathan Clevenger each their first starts of the season, many of the starters were substituted out and the team shown now signs of slowing down in their 14-1 win in five innings.

“Probably one of the luxuries of this team this year is that the depth of it is pretty good,” Wheelersburg coach Michael Estep said. “When you’re substituting people in the ballgame and there’s not a bunch of a drop off, we knew that coming in that we were going to have some kids that would be able to come off the bench and play well.”

The Jeeps drew first blood in their first half of the inning when Lance Swords walked, Denver Fuller singled to center and Andrew Salisbury singled to plate Swords. Those were the only two hits and run allowed by the Pirates combination of Dylan Miller and Zach Brown.

“On days like this, you try to be workman-like and make sure you’re doing the little things correctly,” Estep said. “Because whether you’re playing a team that you should beat or whether you’re playing a team that’s better than you, if you’re not doing the fundamental things right, it’s going to catch up to you at some point.”

Wheelersburg got to Swords on the mound, chasing him after one-plus inning of work in which he allowed seven runs off three hits, three strikeouts and five walks. The South Webster defense struggled throughout, committing seven errors in the game.

“We’ve got to throw and catch to compete,” Jeeps coach Shanen Zimmerman said.

Derek Moore and Austin Boyer were each officially 1-for-1 at the plate while Garrett Carmichael was 2-for-2. In two innings of work, Miller earned his first victory of the season as he struck out three.

The Pirates host Greenup County (Ky.) this afternoon in a doubleheader scheduled to start at noon. Estep’s crew will get familiar with the Musketeers as they will play in Greenup County’s tournament next weekend.

“It’s always been a good rivalry for us the last five, six, seven years,” Estep said. “Coach (Greg) Logan and that crew have put in a lot of time in over there.

“Those kids play a lot of baseball, probably just as much as anybody around the tri-state. Those kids put in a lot of time.”

South Webster is off until Monday when the Jeeps will take on Northwest.

South Webster 1 0 0 0 0 — 1 2 7

Wheelersburg 4 7 3 0 x — 14 9 2

South Webster — Swords 0-1 (BB, R), Fuller 1-2, Salisbury 1-3 (RBI), Queen 0-1 (BB.)

Wheelersburg — Hood 1-2 (2B, R), Boyer 1-1 (2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R), Hall 0-1 (BB, 2 R), Moore 1-1 (2B, BB, 2 RBI, 2 R), Miller 1-3 (SAC, R), Shears 1-2 (RBI, R), Massie 0-1 (BB, 2 RBI), Carmichael 2-2 (SAC, 2 RBI, R), Clevenger 1-3 (RBI, R), Flanagan 0-2 (R), Arnold 1-2, Parsley 0-2 (R), Martin 0-1 (R).

W — Miller (1-0)

L — Swords (n/a)

Records — South Webster 2-13 (0-7); Wheelersburg 10-0 (8-0).

Cody Leist can be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 242, or cleist@heartlandpublications.com.