Sandies Storm Back in Seventh to Win, 11-5
By Will Johnson
Messenger Reporter
LATEXO – It’s still very early in the season for the Grapeland Sandies, but it seems like something special maybe happening in the Queen City of the Sand Flats. In their previous game against the Normangee Panthers, the Sandies came back from near certain defeat to pull out a 19-18 win in nine innings.
Grapeland scored five times in the sixth and four times in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. In the eighth, the Sandies matched the four runs put up by the Panthers in the top half of the inning and then won the game on a wild pitch in the ninth.
On Monday, Grapeland was back in action as they traveled to Latexo to take on the Tigers. The Sandies were 1-1 in District 21-2A competition while the Tigers were 1-3 and for the majority of the game it looked like it would be Latexo who would walk away with the win.
Trailing 5-3 in the top of the seventh, the Sandies rallied for eight runs and then held the Tigers scoreless in the bottom half of the inning to pick up the 11-5 win.
Logan Ray was on the mound for Latexo and gave up an unearned run when Cole Goolsby doubled to lead things off and then scored on an error.
The Tigers answered back with three runs of their own when they came in from the field. Eli Filer drew a walk off Grapeland starting pitcher Cooper Sheridan. Ray was up next and was hit by a pitch.
Sheridan settled down to strike out the next two batters he faced and just when it looked like he might get out of the inning unscathed, Malachi Reece doubled in Filer and moved Ray to third. A wild pitch plated Ray and moved Reece to third. Kade Hauck was hit by a pitch and with Tyler Lumbreraz in the batter’s box, an error in the infield allowed Reece to score extending the Latexo lead to 3-1.
After Reece scored, Sheridan regained his poise and struck out Lumbreraz to end the first inning of play.
A quiet second inning gave way to the third when the Sandies scored twice to tie things up at three. Ray retired the first two batters he faced but then the error bug bit the Tigers. An infield error allowed Sheridan to reach safely and he promptly stole second base.
An infield hit by Jayce Elliott moved Sheridan to third. Another error allowed Sheridan to trot home and moved Elliott to second. Jason DeCluette was up next and lined a pitch into left which pushed Elliott across the plate to tie the score, 3-3.
After a walk to Peyton Prater, Ray settled down long enough to coax Jacob Vaden to line out to second base and end the inning.
Following scoreless innings in the fourth and fifth, Latexo changed the scoreboard in the sixth. The Sandies had made a pitching in the bottom of the fifth and brought in Elliot to pitch.
In the Latexo half of the sixth, Ray reached on an error. He was followed by Sam Jones who singled to right. On the play, Ray moved to third. A balk allowed Ray to trot home and when Cameron Baker lofted a fly ball to right, an error on the play allowed Jones to score and make it 5-3 in favor of Latexo.
After Hauck grounded out and Lumbreraz walked, Prater came on in relief of Elliott to strike out Sebastian Maza and send the game into the seventh.
Down by two, the Sandies had one last chance to pull it out. Ray was still on the mound for the Tigers and gave up a lead off single to Slade Harris who moved to second when Goolsby was plunked by a pitch.
Cameron Navarette was up next and lifted a deep fly ball to center which allowed Harris and Goolsby to tag up and move up a base. Sheridan followed with a single to plate Harris which cut the lead to 5-4.
Filer came in to pitch for Ray and walked Elliott. DeCluette was next in the batter’s box and grounded into a 6-2 force at home. Prater was up next and drew a walk, forcing Sheridan across the plate and making the score 5-5.
A walk to Jacob Vaden sent Elliott across the dish and when Jax Vickers doubled into the left field gap, DeCluette, Matthew Gardner (courtesy runner for Prater) and Vaden all scored to make it 9-5 in favor of the Sandies.
A balk by Filer moved Vickers to third and he scampered home on a passed ball. Harris recorded his second hit of the inning and came around to score on two walks and a passed ball.
With the score 11-5, Josh Yorgenson came on in relief of Filer and managed to get the final out of the inning when Goolsby tried to steal home.
Prater worked a one, two, three bottom of the seventh to pick up the win in relief for the Sandies.
Ray took the loss in 6.1 innings of work. He gave up six runs on four hits and recorded six Ks to go along with two walks.
Sheridan pitched 4.2 innings and gave up three runs on one hit. He also recorded 13 strikeouts and gave up four walks.
Will Johnson may be contacted via e-mail at [email protected].
