Baseball team rallies to win thriller-Three-run seventh snaps seven game Pioneer skid
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The Pioneer baseball team showed that exact attitude in Tuesday’s opening game of a two-day set with Lebanon, rallying to score three runs with two out in the bottom of the seventh inning and topping the Blue Devils 4-3.
Warren County, which had struggled through seven straight losses entering Tuesday night’s game, was held to just six hits on the night, and didn’t draw a base-on-balls until the bottom of the sixth as Cleveland State signee Cody Ferrell kept them in check from the pitcher’s mound.
But they made every chink in Ferrell’s armor count to their advantage in the game’s closing moments, beginning in the sixth when Casey Talbert drew a leadoff walk and stole second, later taking third on a wild pitch.
Clint Newman was called out on strikes for the first out of the frame, but Justin Bouldin collected another walk, and Kyle Mullican, who had grounded out to short twice on the night, slapped a single to left field, bringing home Talbert and ending the shutout.
Still up 3-1 entering the game’s closing frame, the Blue Devils were set down in order by WCHS hurler Josh Mullins, as he didn’t allow them to get a ball out of the infield during the seventh.
The Pioneers returned to the plate with renewed enthusiasm, but their fans were quickly silenced when Ferrell fanned both pinch-hitter Tyler Gilley and leadoff man Zach Fisher.
Lane McCoy stepped up with a clutch single to left, however, and both Talbert and Newman walked, bringing Bouldin to the plate with the bases full of Pioneers.
The senior, who had started the game at first but came on to catch when Newman was cut by a foul ball off his mask, then stepped into his third role of the night ‘ that of the hero. Bouldin drilled a ground ball past a diving LHS second baseman, allowing McCoy to score from third, and Talbert slid in head-first with the game-tying run, chasing Ferrell from the mound.
Lebanon went to senior Garrett Fanchier against Mullican, with courtesy runner Matt McColloch on second after Bouldin’s hit. And with a 1-1 count, Mullican hit a hard grounder to Devil shortstop Martin Mobley, who had moved over from third when Fanchier went the mound. Mobley’s throw went off the dirt and skipped past first-sacker Daniel Harrison, allowing McColloch to score the game-winning run from second base and sending the Pioneers into hysterics.
Mullins finished with the complete-game victory, but once again unearned runs and stranded Pioneer runners were his undoing in the early going.
Lebanon’s first run came in the second inning, when with two out Brandon Corley reached on a Fisher throwing error and scored when Dexter Cross launched a double past McCoy in left.
In the top of the fourth, Chase Hudson led off the frame with a double to left, and scored when Brent Morris hit a fly which was dropped by Mullican in center field. A sacrifice bunt moved up both runners, and Corley laid down a squeeze bunt which scored Morris, giving the Blue Devils a 3-0 edge.
The Pioneers’ hits came from Fisher, McCoy, Talbert, Bouldin, Mullican and Dakota Taylor, and were all charged to Ferrell, who took the loss despite balancing six strikeouts against four walks.
Warren County was scheduled to travel to Lebanon to wrap up the series last night.