3A REGION 2 BASEBALL

10th-inning single sends Mayflower to semifinals

Riverview pitcher Evan Mullins celebrates after striking out a batter with the bases loaded in the fifth inning of Saturday’s Class 3A Region 2 game against Episcopal Collegiate. Mullins came within one strike of a shutout as the Raiders beat the Wildcats 6-3.
Riverview pitcher Evan Mullins celebrates after striking out a batter with the bases loaded in the fifth inning of Saturday’s Class 3A Region 2 game against Episcopal Collegiate. Mullins came within one strike of a shutout as the Raiders beat the Wildcats 6-3.

HASKELL — Michael Post lined a no-out, bases-loaded single into center field in the 10th inning Saturday to give Mayflower a 6-5 victory over Rose Bud in the first round of the Class 3A Region 2 tournament at Benton Harmony Grove High School.

Post’s hit was his third of the game and capped the Eagles’ rally from a 5-0 deficit after 2 1/2 innings. It was also Post’s third RBI of the game.

Mayflower (24-3) advances to the regional semifinals Monday, and it has also qualified for next week’s Class 3A state tournament in Harrison. The regional championship game is also scheduled for Monday.

Post’s game winner was set up by Justin Sewell’s leadoff bloop double that fell in between three Rose Bud players just inside the rightfield line. Sewell slipped under the tag at second base to collect his second hit of the afternoon.

Mayflower had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh when Sewell singled to center with one out, but Rose Bud outfielder Skyler Baker threw a perfect strike to the plate to cut down Tyler Godwin, who was attempting to score from second.

“Justin Sewell is the slowest guy on the team, but he’s our smartest base runner,” Mayflower Coach Joe Allbritton said. “We teach our guys to be aggressive. Sometimes it works for us, sometimes it doesn’t, but we are going play the way we have all year.

“We’re riverboat gamblers, and this time it worked for us.”

A bunt single by Austin Grundy moved Sewell to third and the Ramblers issued an intentional walk to load the bases, setting up the game winner for Post.

Rose Bud (12-9) used three consecutive singles and two errors to score four runs in the second inning. Tyler Weatherly, Andrew Adcock and Jake Canley all picked up one-out base hits. Baker drove in the Ramblers’ first run with an infield groundout. Two errors brought home the Ramblers’ final three runs of the inning.

Rose Bud made it 5-0 in the third when Adcock’s single scored Blake Ferrel, who had led off the inning with a walk.

Jordan Burns, who was 3 for 4 with 3 RBI, drove in Mayflower’s first run with a third-inning single. Burns hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth to cut Rose Bud’s lead to 5-2. Burns also wound up as the winning pitcher, allowing two hits and no runs in seven innings.

In the sixth, Post singled in two runs to bring Mayflower to within 5-4. Post moved to second on a throw from the outfield and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Burns’ third hit of the game tied the game at 5-5.

Adcock, the Rose Bud starter, pitched 5 2/3 innings. He gave up 6 hits, walked 6 and struck out 7. Tyler Bell pitched the final 3 1/3 and took the loss. He sat down seven consecutive batters before Mayflower got to him in the 10th.

RIVERVIEW 6, EPISCOPAL COLLEGIATE 3

Riverview’s Evan Mullins came within one strike of a shutout but was forced to settle for a seven-hitter as the Raiders upset the Wildcats.

Mullins struck out 9, walked 2 and hit 2 batters in a complete-game victory. Mullins, Ryan Rogers, Travis Thompson and Tyler Thompson each drove in a run for Riverview (10-13).

Episcopal (13-8) was down to its last strike when Douglas Munson ripped a two-run double to cut Riverview’s lead to 6-2. Nick Becton followed with a single to left to score the Wildcats’ final run, but the rally died when Becton was tagged out at second attempting to stretch the hit into a double.

HARDING ACADEMY 2, BENTON HARMONY GROVE 0

Austin Calhoun struck out five and allowed only one hit as the 3A defending state champion Wildcats (19-6) defeated the host Cardinals (13-9).

Calhoun retired the first seven batters and did not give up a hit until Cody Icenhower’s lined a clean single to right with one out in the sixth inning.

“Austin has been a go-to guy for us all year long,” Harding Academy Coach Shane Fullerton said. “He has just come through time after time after time. …. He threw 86 pitches today, and you can’t ask for much better than that. I think he had two eight-pitch at-bats. Other than that, he was really cruising today. … He did a really good job with his off-speed stuff, getting ahead in the count, and I thought he was really gutsy.”

Calhoun was also 3 for 3 with two singles and a double. He had three of the Wildcats’ five hits. Noah Holt drove in Harding Academy’s first run with a sacrifice fly. A two-out triple by J. Paul Fullerton in the fifth pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 2-0.

Harmony Grove starter Jordan Allred allowed only four hits. He struck out five, walked one and hit a batter in five innings.

Sports on 05/11/2014

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