The junior right-hander overcame the Tigers’ four errors and drove in the game’s first run and Brett Hernandez provided some breathing room with a two-run double as Belton topped College Station A&M Consolidated 4-1 on Tuesday night.
“It’s not like us to make mistakes like that, but we stayed with it and got after it,” said Belton first-year coach Eddie Cornblum, whose team improved to 11-4 overall and 3-0 in District 12-5A to remain tied for first place with Bryan, which beat Copperas Cove 15-5 in five innings.
Added Cornblum: “Dillon Newman was great on the mound. He was a bulldog out there.”
Newman (3-2) tossed a four-hitter on 99 pitches and said it was the hardest he’s ever had to battle in his career.
“My defense just couldn’t catch a break,” Newman said. “(But) one of the things I count on is any ball that’s hit hard on the ground or up in the air, I’m pretty sure my defense is going to catch it.”
With Consol (9-6, 1-2) batting in the second inning, Belton allowed a routine pop-up to fall, Newman threw wide of second base and had a wild pitch to put runners on second and third with no outs.
Catcher Garret Vail threw to third baseman John Beck to pick off Carson Shomaker for the first out and Newman retired the next two batters.
In the fourth, Consol had runners on first and third with one out, but Newman coaxed a groundout to third and Dustin Deere, who tried to steal second, retreated and was tagged out in a rundown.
Belton stranded seven runners in the first three innings off Temple College signee Brannon Easterling (2-1). With the bases loaded and one out in the fourth, Newman dribbled a slow roller to second to bring home Jarrett Crowell for a 1-0 lead.
“That’s all I was trying to do was put the bat on the ball,” Newman said.
In the fifth, Hernandez drove home Kevin Thornton and Crowell and eventually scored from third on an errant pickoff attempt by catcher Dillon Briers.
Despite going 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position and leaving 12 on base, that was all the run support Newman and Belton needed.
“They didn’t give up,” Cornblum said. “You look at a lot of good things they did tonight. We left some guys in scoring position, but we ended up clutching up."
Belton will host Copperas Cove at 7 p.m. Friday at Tiger Field.
cmeister@temple-telegram.com
