GUYTON — South Effingham’s Lance Cantaline twirled a complete game, two-hit shutout leading the Mustangs to a 1-0 victory here Friday over Class 4A ninth-ranked Ware County.
Cantaline needed 97 pitches to finish what he started. He fanned seven and walked two in outdueling the Gators’ Tanner Larisey (4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 K, 0 BB, 1 HBP) and Ryder Kinnon (2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 K, 0 BB). Larisey threw 54 pitches (34 strikes) over his four innings with Kinnon hurling 33 pitches (24 strikes) in his two innings of work.
The duo threw 19 first pitch strikes to the 23 batters they faced.
Cantaline recorded 21 first pitch strikes to the 26 batters he faced. Only two leadoff batters reached base - Walker Hudson (1-for-3) starting the sixth and Landon Smallwood in the seventh courtesy of an error. Larisey (1-for-3) recorded Ware County’s first hit with a one-out single in the fifth.
Slade Sweat was the Gators’ lone runner over the first three innings drawing a two-out walk in the first inning. Ware County put two runners on in the fourth with Sweat reaching on a one-out error and Smallwood drawing a two-out walk.
Larisey was lifted for courtesy runner Brodie Burchett following his one-out single. Burchett moved to second on a Ashton Suess sacrifice bunt.
South Effingham broke through scoring the only run of the game in the bottom half of the fourth inning putting together three consecutive two-out hits. The Mustangs stranded two runners — one in each of the first two innings.
They would leave two on base in the bottom of the fifth after back-to-back, one-out singles and another in the sixth getting a one-out single.
The Gators missed a scoring opportunity in the sixth. Hudson’s leadoff single was followed by an error on Garrison Joyner’s sacrifice bunt. Hudson raced to third on the miscue with Joyner erased in his attempt to reach second. Cantaline retired the next two Ware County batters on an infield pop and strikeout.
Smallwood reached to start the seventh when his infield grounder was booted. Burchett, inserted as a pinch-runner, stole second and moved over to third as Cantaline fanned the next. He induced a game-ending grounder on a 2-1 offering.
