By Stan Caldwell
stanmansportsfan.com
SUMRALL – It was well worth the wait.
After being delayed for three days in a row due to heavy rains in the Pine Belt, Game 1 of the Class 4A South State final series between West Lauderdale and Sumrall proved to be everything everyone had been anticipating – and more.
The third-ranked Bobcats held serve at home Sunday night with a thrilling 3-2 victory in nine innings over the Knights. The second game of the best-of-three game series will be played at 7 p.m. Monday at Collinsville.
Sumrall (31-5) can advance to the 4A state championship series with a win on the road. No. 8 West Lauderdale (27-4), which had a 19-game winning streak snapped, must win Monday to force a deciding third game back at Sumrall on Tuesday.
“It was the kind of game we expected from two of the best teams in the state,” said Sumrall coach Larry Knight. “It was kind of like a chess match with the moves we made as coaches.”
Ultimately, it was Knight who made the moves that paid off for his team. A little bit of luck and some timely work at the plate from senior Graham Crawford didn’t hurt either.
Crawford drove in all three runs for the Bobcats, two on a clutch two-out single in the bottom of the fifth inning and the game-winner in the ninth on a sacrifice fly after the Knights gave up three straight walks.
“I just knew somebody was going to have to come up with a big hit,” said Crawford. “I knew they have good arms, so I knew we needed someone who could provide that one big hit that gets the game done. I’m happy it was me.”
It was the Knights, though, who struck the first couple of blows off Bobcat starter Hunter Barrett with a pair of solo home runs. Bradon Luke smoked a two-out shot to right field in the top of the first and Tanner Parker led off the third with a long ball to left.
“The first one, he hit a hanging curveball,” said Barrett, a senior right-hander. “The first pitch was a decent curveball, but the next one I left up in the zone. He’s a good hitter and he got a good swing on it.
“The second guy, I was supposed to hit a low outside fastball. I got it in on his hands and took it out. You’ve just got to have a short-term memory about things like that. You just have to shrug it off and go to the next batter.”
The Bobcats could get little done in the first three innings against West Lauderdale right-hander Ben Ethridge, then got a runner to third base in the fourth without scoring.
But Sumrall got to the Southern Miss signee in the fifth, helped by two errors.
Bobcat senior Tanner Morgan led off the inning by hitting a high fly to deep center field that was misplayed for a two-base error. Ethridge got back-to-back strikeouts, but senior Dannis Jackson hit a high chopper to third base and he reached on an errant throw.
Senior Zane Berry drew a walk to load the bases, bringing Crawford to the plate. He hit a 1-0 pitch into shallow right field that easily scored Morgan, and Jackson sped around third to score the tying run ahead of the throw to the plate.
“The first pitch was a curveball for a ball,” said Crawford. “The next pitch I was looking dead red fastball. I found a pitch to hit and put the barrel on it.”
The Bobcats might have done more damage after reloading the bases on an intentional walk after Crawford went to second on the play, but Ethridge got out of further trouble with an inning-ending strikeout.
Barrett got two quick outs in the sixth, but Knight went to his bullpen for junior J.C. Stogner after the Knights got two runners on with an intentional walk and a bloop single. Stogner got a strikeout to end the inning and worked around a leadoff single in the seventh.
It was after the game went to extra innings that the chess match between Knight and Knights coach Jason Smith began in earnest.
Sumrall got a break when a throwing error on the leadoff batter turned into a big defensive play when the runner slid past second base and was tagged out.
However, Stogner walked the next batter, and with a left-handed batter up in Luke, Knight sent Stogner into left field and called for sophomore lefty Kros Sivley to pitch to Luke.
Stogner – who rarely plays in the field – was called on immediately when Luke hit a high fly to shallow left, and Stogner was up to the challenge. Sivley then got the final out on a groundout.
“I thought about taking (Sivley) back out after the one batter,” said Knight. “But with them having the go-ahead run at first, I wanted the left-hander out there because it’s hard to steal on him. But if they’d gotten him to second, we’d have brought J.C. back.
“As long as he doesn’t leave the game, you can do that. It’s not something you see a lot, but we’ve had it done to us, and we’ve done it a few times. It was a situational thing, and it worked out for us.”
Smith made his big move in the bottom of the eighth, bringing on his other top ace, senior Kameron Partridge, and he got through the inning unscathed. But in the ninth, it was a different story.
Stogner came back to the mound for the top of the ninth and he quickly got himself in trouble, hit a batter with the first pitch of the inning.
After getting a strikeout, the Knights put runners on second and third with a double to right field. Sumrall elected to load the bases with another intentional walk to put the force in play, but that strategy wasn’t needed as Stogner (6-0) got out of the jam with a strikeout and a fly ball to center.
West Lauderdale turned to junior Brett Mason (2-2) in the bottom of the inning, but after getting a fly ball out, he walked Hayden Barrett and Jackson on nine pitches.
Sophomore Mason Willis was brought out to stem the tide, but he walked Berry to load the bases, bringing Crawford to the plate needing only a fly ball to win it. His medium-depth fly was caught and the throw to the plate was up the line and too late as the winning run came home.
“I wanted to swing the bat,” said Crawford. “The first pitch, he didn’t give me take, and I was little surprised at that. It was a ball; the next pitch I was looking dead red and looking for something to drive to end it.”
Knight said senior right-hander Halen Sanford will probably get the start on Monday, although Sivley is ready and Stogner would be available on Tuesday, if needed.
“We know how tough it’s going to be at their place,” said Knight. “Hopefully, we can get it done tomorrow, but we’ve got enough pitching that we’ll be fine if we have to play Tuesday.”
Prep Baseball Linescore
Class 4A Semifinal Round
Game 1
Sunday at Larry Knight Field
Sumrall 3, West Lauderdale 2 (9 innings)
WL 101 000 000 – 2 7 3
SHS 000 020 001 – 3 5 1
WEST LAUDERDALE (27-4): Bradon Luke HR (solo); Ben Ethridge 1B; Kameron Partridge 2 1B; Mason Willis 1B; Cade Kennedy 2B; Tanner Parker HR (solo). LP – Brett Mason (2-2). Also pitching – Ben Ethridge (starter); Kameron Partridge; Mason Willis.
SUMRALL (26-4): Dannis Jackson 2B; Zane Berry 1B; Graham Crawford 1B (3 RBIs); Mason Story 1B; Tanner Morgan 1B. WP – J.C. Stogner (6-0). Also pitching – Hunter Barrett (starter); Kros Sivley.
