LEBANON — Southmont jumped out to a 5-0 lead against Lebanon
Monday before the wheels fell off and the Tigers came back to win 11-5.
Tiger pitcher Hayden Parker didn't look like he was going to
have too much trouble in the first, retiring the first two batters of the
inning. But a walk to Koy Archer was followed by an error and a single by Zach
Worm to make it 1-0.
The next two batters were hit by pitches to load the bases
for Brandon Rogers, who drew a walk to force in another run. Cam Chadd followed
with an RBI-single before a 2-run double by 9-hole hitter Ryan Stanley made it
5-0.
After that, Southmont managed only two hits the rest of the
way. They had multiple base runners in the second and fourth innings, but
couldn't score.
"It was a great start, but you can't stop there,"
Southmont head coach Jamie Welliever said. "It is a long game. We had
chances to get more and couldn't capitalize on them."
Lebanon got a run on a wild pitch in the bottom of the
second inning to make it 5-1, but stranded eight runners in the first three
innings.
They were able to break through on their chance to score in
the fourth inning. The Tigers loaded the bases with no outs without a hit in
the inning, before Bryce Shearer hit an RBI-single to make it 5-2.
Two batters later, Tyler Welborn hit a sacrifice fly to cut
the deficit to two, before Dafoe walked to reload the bases.
Senior Benji Hudson came up and delivered for the Tigers (6-11,
6-6 SAC), tripling to center on the first pitch he saw to make it 6-5.
Welliever said the wheels started to fall off for the
Mounties in the middle innings.
"The whole game our pitchers were flirting with
danger," Welliever said. "We were getting behind in the counts and
walking and hitting batters. We were hanging in there until the fourth inning
and then we just couldn't make the pitches. Then it got contagious and we
stopped making plays. We just couldn't recover."
Chadd took the loss for the Mounties (12-8, 4-7 SAC), allowing
nine runs (eight earned) in 1.2 innings. He allowed five hits and walked three.
Starter Cole Roach went three innings, allowing five hits
and one run.
The two teams play again today at Southmont.
"It is how the high school season goes, you turn around
and go right back at it," Welliever said. "We have to keep working on
the little things."