Timberland knocked off Academic Magnet, 14-6, in a region game Friday, April 12, in St. Stephen. The Wolves erupted for nine runs in the bottom of the first inning and added two more in the third and fourth innings to pull away.

“The bats came alive,” said Timberland coach Steven Davis. “We put the ball in play and created chaos on the basepaths. Hitting is contagious. We believed we could get the job done. We ran the bases well and took advantage of some mishaps.”

Sophomore Hugh Mitchum knocked in four runs, while junior Bailee Humbert and junior Nicholas Gabel added two RBIs each. Senior Skipper Murphy, senior RJ Brown and eighth-grader Jacob Haynes knocked in one run apiece for the Wolves (2-15, 2-5 region).

Humbert was also the winning pitcher, striking out seven batters over six innings. He allowed three earned runs.

“It definitely was like a weight being lifted off our shoulders,” Davis said. “It was really nice to get that win at home. It was bigger for us because it was a region matchup.”

The Wolves exploded for another region win, 20-5, in their next contest Tuesday, April 16, in St. Stephen versus Lake Marion. Murphy and Junior Greg Tumbleston powered the Wolves with four RBIs apiece. Brown contributed two RBIs, while Humbert, Gabel, Mitchum and eighth-grader AJ Mizell drove in runs.

On the mound, Brown and Mizell combined for eight strikeouts and allowed just two earned runs. Mizell was the winning pitcher.

The second region win honored the team’s two seniors, Murphy and Brown, and kept the Wolves alive for a third-place finish in the region behind Oceanside Collegiate and Bishop England.

Rhys Williams is another eighth grader on the roster.

On the season, Murphy is hitting .400 with a team-high 15 RBIs, while Tumbleston is batting .317 with a team-high 15 runs scored. Humbert has crossed home 14 times. Mitchum is at .296 from the dish.

Murphy is 6-for-9 in his last three games, while Tumbleston is 5-of-8 with five RBIs in the stretch.

“We had a tough non-region schedule and our region is one of the toughest in the state,” Davis said. “We had some adversity, but we’ve made great strides from day one to now. The guys bought in and have gotten better.”