After giving up four runs (three earned) in the first two frames, he didn’t allow another run, turning his outing into an 11-4 complete-game win for the Tigers at home against Warrior Run.

“I think most of all I just started throwing strikes,” Everitt said. “My changeup started working well, and I just gained more confidence as the game went on.”

Everitt retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings. After trailing 4-1 going to the bottom of the third inning, the first four Tigers reached base.

Brayden Andrews started the inning with a long solo home run to right-center; Caden Hopper tripled and then scored on a wild pitch; Kole Myers walked; and then Andrew Yost hit the second home run of the inning for Southern to give the Tigers a 5-4 lead.

LARRY DEKLINSKI/Special to the Sun-Gazette Southern Columbia’s Ayden Hockenbroch steals second base before Warrior Run’s Tyler Ulrich is able to field the ball during Tuesday’s game at Southern.

For Yost, it was his first career homer.

“It feels great. It’s like a weight off my back,” the junior first baseman said. “I have been waiting to hit one. I feel a lot more confident now this season. I put a lot of time in during the offseason to improve on my hitting. I put in a ton of work.”

In the fourth inning, Southern tacked onto its lead with two runs courtesy of a pair of RBI doubles from Hopper and Myers.

As Everitt continued to stay locked in on the mound, the Tigers added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth. Myers hit a home run during the inning for the third round-tripper of the night for the winners.

“I am extremely happy where we are at right now. I wanted to see the body language and reaction to being down. In this case, it was the first time we trailed all year and the team responded in a positive way,” Southern coach Mike Myers said.

LARRY DEKLINSKI/Special to the Sun-Gazette Warrior Run’s Cohen Zechman is unable to field the ball while attempting to pick off Southern Columbia’s Kole Myers at second base during Tuesday’s game at Southern.

After striking out the side in the sixth, Everitt closed out the game by striking out the final two batters that the Defenders brought to the plate. He closed out his win with 11 strikeouts.

“After those first two innings, I just kind of zoned in and did what I needed to do,” Everitt said.

Other than a dropped third strike and a misfire to first base by the Tigers in the first inning, that was the only error for either side in the game on Tuesday.

“It’s always about keeping your head up. Having fun and staying in the right mental place when competing is the most important thing,” said Andrews, who is SCA’s center fielder. “Everything comes to fruition when you are doing your job. After the first two innings, we played great.”

In the loss, Cohen Zechman hit a two-run home run in the second inning, which were the final runs to cross the plate for the Defenders (2-2).

Hopper finished the game with three hits for the Tigers and was a home run away from the cycle.

Myers, Andrews and Ayden Hockenbroch each completed the win with multi-hit games as well.

In the final five innings, Everitt gave up just two singles and didn’t surrender any free passes. He allowed just one walk overall.

“He pitched a great game. He didn’t let those first two innings get into his head. He went back out there and pitched well for us. That’s what you want to see as a coach from your pitcher,” Myers said.

Southern (4-0) will look to enter the Easter break unbeaten with a home test against Tri-Valley on Friday pending the incoming weather over the next few days.

“Tri-Valley is always a very good team. We can’t have a letdown. This was a big win, so we can’t have a letdown. We just have to go out there in our next game and continue to play baseball the way these kids know how to play,” Southern’s skipper said.

Southern Columbia 11, Warrior Run 4

Warrior Run 220 000 0 — 4 7 0

Southern Columbia 104 204 x — 11 12 1

Landon Polcyn, Griffen Harrington (3) and Landon Tillson. Levi Everitt and Gavin Richard. W–Everitt. L-Polcyn.

Top Warrior Run hitters: Landon Tillson 2-4; Cohen Zechman 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs, BB; James Keifer 1-4, 2B, RBI. Top Southern Columbia hitters: Kole Myers 2-2, 2B, HR, HBP, 2 RBIs, BB, 2 runs; Caden Hopper 3-4, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3 runs; Brayden Andrews 2-4, HR, RBI, 2 runs; Ayden Hockenbroch 2-3, RBI, BB, run; Andrew Yost 1-3, HR, BB, 2 RBIs, run