Freshman Mack Williams notches 3 hits, home run in Northside win

Northside head coach Dee Miller said when it comes to who plays for the Patriots, he's not shy about putting younger players into the lineup.

On Tuesday, freshman Mack Williams showed why.

Williams got a rare start in right field and had a tremendous game for Northside, going 3-for-3 with 3 RBIs in The Patriots' 7-2 victory over Shaw. Williams accomplished a personal milestone in the fourth inning, hitting the ball over the left-field wall for his first varsity home run.

"It felt really good," Williams said of the performance. "I was seeing the ball really well. There was really good pitching today."

Williams already had a double to his credit when he walked to the plate in the fourth in a 3-1 game.

He faced a 2-0 count and said he knew something worth hitting was heading his way. He found what he was looking for and sent the ball sailing to left, clearing the fence and sending a shockwave through both squads.

"I just waited back and hit it over," Williams said. "I knew it was gone."

For good measure, Williams added an RBI single in the sixth inning to bring home Northside's seventh and final run.

Miller said Williams has performed well at the lower levels for Northside and had handled his business in the at-bats he'd already had this season. Miller added that he's seen Williams grow and develop as the spring has progressed, which could mean even more big moments for the ninth grader going forward.

"He's always had a good approach and hit the ball hard,” Miller said. “We gave him a shot today, gave him a start and he came up big."

The nature of an inexperienced freshman helping drive home three runs in the thick of a tight race in the subregion speaks to exactly what Miller emphasizes to every member of his team.

"We talk about wanting to play our best baseball this time of year," Miller said. "The more contributions you can get, the better. We're going to try and find the best nine (players), roll them out and try to get a win that day."

Northside entered Tuesday's game with a one-game lead in its subregion. The offensive surged matches with a solid start on the mound from Waggener Davidson helped the Patriots fend off a pesky Shaw team which had recently notched wins over Columbus and Central.

Miller and his players know that crunch time is upon them with important matchups with Hardaway and Columbus coming next week. While Northside realizes those familiar foes will be hard to beat, those squads and other Patriots' opponents should now understand how dangerous Northside's freshman outfielder can be.

For Williams, the showing against Shaw was enjoyable, but now it's all about carrying the momentum forward.

"(The win) gets us rolling for some big games in region next week," Williams said. "Hopefully, we can carry it into the playoffs."

This story was originally published April 4, 2017 at 8:14 PM with the headline "Freshman Mack Williams notches 3 hits, home run in Northside win."