Sandies Plagued by Errors in Loss

Grapeland Falls to Normangee, 7-4

By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter

NORMANGEE – While not your typical Spring Break destination, the Grapeland Sandies took a trip on Thursday of last week to Normangee for a game against the Normangee Panthers.

Unfortunately, the Sandies’ Spring Break plans didn’t go as well as hoped for as they fell to the Panthers by a final score of 7-4.

Bubba Mayes was on the mound for Normangee to open the game while Josh Ackley got the start for the Sandies.

Mayes had difficulty finding the plate in the top of the first but managed to get out of the inning unscathed. Grapeland’s Austin Driskell worked a full count out of Mayes before he grounded into a 6-3 force.

Case Boyd coaxed a five pitch walk from the Panther’s pitcher before Ackley grounded out to short. Jerry Peterson also drew a five pitch walk and the Sandies had a runner in scoring position with two outs.

Blake Howard was up next and worked the count to 2-2. He fouled the next pitch off but on Mayes’ 26th pitch of the inning, he caught Howard looking at a called third strike to end the Grapeland threat.

Ackley took the hill for the Sandies and recorded two quick outs. Ryan Pate was up next and reached on a base knock to center. Hayes followed Pate in the order and lined a single to right which advanced Pate to third.

Jacob Schmidt came into run for Mayes and moved to second on a passed ball. Pate scampered home on the same play and spotted the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

A balk by Ackley moved Schmidt to third and was followed by a Chris Smith walk. Smith stole second to move into scoring position and chased Smith across the dish when a hard shot by Luke Yellot got by Howard at first.

Ackley managed to regain his composure and forced CJ Rosales to ground into a 1-3 force to end the inning with the Panthers up by a 3-0 score.

The Sandies got a run back in the top of the second and except for a bit of bad luck, they could have taken the lead.

Cameron Navarette led off the inning with a walk. Franco Rea was up next and struck out swinging on a 1-2 pitch from Mayes. After Navarette stole second and third, Cooper Sheridan drew a walk to put runners on the corners with one out.

BJ Lamb also drew a walk off of Mayes to load the bases. When Driskell was walked, Navarette had nowhere else to go and crossed the plate to make the score 3-1.

That was all for Mayes as Jacob Schmidt was called in to relieve his teammate. The first batter he faced was Boyd who fouled the first pitch off. On the second pitch he saw from Schmidt, Boyd hit a screamer down the line at third, but right at Rosales who was on the chalk. Rosales caught the ball in mid-flight and tagged Sheridan who was running on the pitch for out number three.

Schmidt, who had just worked his way out of jam in the top half of the inning, led off the bottom of the frame and drew a walk off of Ackley. He stole second, moved to third on another Grapeland error and came around to score on Cobey Powell’s sacrifice fly.

After Ackley recorded the final two outs of the second, he led off the third with single up the middle and took third on a passed ball. Evan Peterson drew a walk from Schmidt to put runners on the corners with no outs.

Howard followed Peterson in the order and ripped a shot to right field to drive-in Ackley. On the throw in from right, Peterson touched home to make the score 4-3 while Howard took second.

Navarette sacrificed Howard to third but that was a s far as he would get as Rea struck out on a called third strike followed by a Sheridan pop up to second to end the Sandies’ threat.

The Panthers got the two runs back in the bottom half of the third on an error and a passed ball to make the score 6-3. Normangee tacked on another run in the bottom of the sixth while Grapeland added a run to their total in the seventh when Lamb scored on a passed ball.

Unfortunately, Lamb’s run was as close as Grapeland would get as the Sandies fell by a final of 7-4.

Ackley was saddled with the loss after he went four innings and gave up six runs (two earned) on three hits. He also recorded six Ks and walked five. Schmidt picked up the win with 5.2 innings worked. He gave up three runs on four hits, struck out five and walked two.

Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].

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