Southside Smacks Raiders, 13-11, On Wiley's Walk-Off Slam

Grissom Comes Out Swinging, Silverdale Falls Hard, 18-3

  • Friday, March 27, 2015
  • Larry Fleming
Cleveland's Joseph Martin hits an infield grounder and reached safely when the throw to first base missed its mark. The Blue Raiders lost to Southside of Fort Smith, Ark., 13-11, on when Wiley Tanner hit a seventh-inning grand slam.
Cleveland's Joseph Martin hits an infield grounder and reached safely when the throw to first base missed its mark. The Blue Raiders lost to Southside of Fort Smith, Ark., 13-11, on when Wiley Tanner hit a seventh-inning grand slam.
photo by Dennis Norwood

Southside High School, located in Fort Smith, Ark., didn’t travel 600-plus miles to waste a scintillating comeback against Cleveland on Friday in the Pounder Classic at Central High School.

Spotting the Blue Raiders a 7-0 first-inning lead, Southside tied the game in the sixth and then shocked Cleveland with a six-run rally in the last of the seventh – Tanner Wiley, breaking a two-game hitting slump – capped it with a walk-off grand slam – and the Rebels won 13-11 to go 3-0 in Pool A play.

“We played the worst defense tonight we’ve played all year and we spotted them seven runs,” Rebels coach Craig Jones said, “but the guys kept plugging and we came back.”

The Rebels (7-4) left the bases loaded in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, frittering away several opportunities to take the lead.

Southside also helped the Raiders by making seven errors.

“Hey,” said Jones, “Cleveland made some mighty big plays to keep us from scoring. You have to give them some credit. I had to sit two players who got in trouble and that hurt us because we had some guys playing out of position.”

The Blue Raiders got a double play to escape one threat and right-fielder Chanz Placek made a sensational inning-ending catch near the outfield fence to avoid giving up more runs.

After the Raiders’ big first, which was aided by three Southside errors, starting pitcher Dalton Reeves settled down held Cleveland in check for the next five innings.

The Tigers started pecking away and finally tied the game two runs in the sixth.

In the seventh, Cleveland’s bats suddenly came to life and they had apparently beat back the Tigers with a four-run seventh.

The Blue Raiders got two walks and a bunt single to load the bases. Southside reliever Christian Brasher struck out Landon Allison and Michael, the eighth and ninth batters. Jay McIntire was hit by an 0-2 pitch to force Joseph Martin across to give the Raiders an 8-7 lead.

Derek Nichols scored on a passed ball and when catcher Nick Testa’s throw back to Brasher covering home was off the mark, Hunter Oliver scored for a 10-7 advantage. Austin Dykes’ single to left field pushed courtesy runner Harbor Jefferson home with the 11th run.

With Jonathan Martin on in relief, the Rebels mounted their comeback.

Austin Pierce reached on a bloop single down the left-field foul line. Daniel Demondesert singled and Cole Bross reached on an error that produced one run for the Rebels. Kinner Brasher’s single up the middle pulled Southside to within 11-9. Ty Harpenau, a Texas Tech baseball signee, walked to load the bases.

Wiley, the Rebels’ designated hitter, stepped into the batter’s box.

“I was looking for a first-pitch fastball and that’s what I got,” Wiley said. “It was up and in.”

Wiley got all of it.

The ball sailed over the fence in dead-center and the Rebels broke into a jubilant celebration as Wiley, a senior, reached home plate.

“That felt good, wonderful,” he said. “I’ve been in a slump in the first two games of this tournament, but I think the grand slam broke my slump right there.”

Said Jones, “Tyler squared that one up.”

Grissom 18, Silverdale 3: Grissom, with 32 players on its roster, played power ball against the Seahawks, who left the ballpark battered and bruised from Virgil L. Grissom High’s offensive onslaught.

The Tigers, out of Huntsville, Ala., pounded out 15 hits, including five for extra bases, scored seven runs in the second inning and a season-high nine in the third to bombard Seahawks pitching.

On Thursday, coach Cory Hamrick’s club crushed Harmony (Orlando, Fla.), 10-0, and earlier Friday thumped Innisdale (Canada), 15-0.

“We’re averaging about nine runs a game,” Hamrick said after the game, which was played in 50-degree weather with a 15 mph wind blowing from right to left field. “We stress to the kids to find ways to get on base and they’ve been doing a really good job at that.”

Innocent enough were the Tigers’ two first-inning runs – Justin Foscue doubled and later scored on a wild pitch and Palmer Ford reached on a single and came home on one of five Silverdale errors. A few minutes later Grissom (15-5) started crushing the ball.

The host Seahawks (3-6) saw starting pitcher Caleb Stafford get roughed up for seven runs on five hits, including Chance Shawkey’s two-run homer. Silverdale used four hurlers to get out of the third inning when the Tigers score nine runs before the Seahawks recorded an out, and eventually sent 14 batters to the plate.

“They’re a tough team,” Silverdale coach Jonathan Adcock said. “We helped them some in that third inning and then it just snowballed. They play good baseball in Alabama, apparently.

“But I think we could have played with more intensity. I want the guys to play hard regardless of the score.”

Bolstered by the big lead, Grissom right-hander Peyton Hayes went the distance and picked up the easy win. He allowed three hits and struck out five.  

“He’s one of our top-tier guys,” Hamrick said. “The last time out he went eight innings against Vestavia Hills and got beat 2-1.”

Shawkey’s two-run blast wasn’t the only damage inflicted on the Seahawks.

Palmer Ford ripped a two-run double to the fence in left field. Josh Sears had a two-run single and the seventh run scored on one of five Silverdale errors, this one by second baseman Collin Daniell.

The nine runs in the third came before the Seahawks could record an out, although the Tigers’ explosion started when Collin Wirick reached on one of four errors by shortstop Josiah Green.

Andrew Schreiber laced a two-run double to center. The inning also included RBI singles by Foscue, Sears and Lucke. Cameron Jones contributed a sacrifice fly, Jake Stamps drew a bases-loaded walk and one run scored on a Green miscue.

“My first year in Niceville, Fla., that team went 21-4 and was nationally ranked,” said Hamrick, who is in his first year at Grissom. “This group, from one to nine in the lineup, is better. We’re about to jump into our Class 7A, Area 8 schedule and that’s going to be tough.

“Huntsville High is the cream of the crop while Buckhorn and Gadsden City also are strong in our area. Only two teams go to state.”

The Seahawks scored two runs in the first. Jordan Delashmitt Collin Daniell each singled and both later scored on a pair of Grissom errors.

In the fourth, Chance Brown reached on a misplay, moved to third on Green’s single to right and scored when Michael Hawkins bounced into a fielder’s choice.

LINESCORES

Cleveland                                         700 000 4 – 11 6 1

Southside (Ark.)                          110 212 6 – 13 10 7

Noble, Martin (7) and Oliver; Reeves, Tyler (5), Brasher (7) and Testa.

Grissom, Ala.                                 279 0 – 18 15 3

Silverdale Baptist                      200 1 – 3 3 5

Hayes and Stamps, Wiginton (4); Stafford, Keylon (3), Lovell (3), Cook (3) and Brown.

2015 Pounder Classic Schedule

Pool A at Central

Central, Fort Smith, Ark., Innisdale, Ontario, Canada, Cleveland, Harmony, Fla., Grissom, Ala.

Pool B at Hixson

Boyd-Buchanan, Sale Creek, Gwinette Barons, Ga., Hixson, Silverdale

Wednesday

Central 6, Harmony (Fla.) 2

Thursday

At Central

Fort Smith (Ark.) 2, Central 0

Boyd-Buchanan 8, Cleveland 3

Grissom (Ala.) 10, Harmony (Fla.) 0

At Hixson

Hixson 11, Gwinette Christian (Ga.) 2

Gwinette Christian (Ga.) 12, Sale Creek 0

Silverdale 5, Innisdale (Canada) 1

Friday

At Central

Fort Smith 18, Innisdale 2

Fort Smith 13, Cleveland 11

At Hixson

Cleveland vs. Hixson, ppd.

Boyd-Buchanan 13, Sale Creek 2

Grissom 15, Innisdale 0

At Silverdale

Grissom 18, Silverdale 3

Saturday

At Central

Central vs. Innisdale, 10 a.m.

Cleveland vs. Harmony, 12:15 p.m.

Central vs. Grissom, 2:30 p.m.

Fort Smith vs. Harmony, 4:45 p.m.

Championship game, 7 p.m.

At Hixson

Sale Creek vs. Hixson, 10 a.m.

Boyd-Buchanan vs. Hixson, 12:15 p.m.

Boyd-Buchanan vs. Gwinette, 2:30 p.m.

Cleveland vs. Hixson, 4:45 p.m.

Saturday at Silverdale

Gwinette vs. Silverdale, 10 a.m.

Sale Creek vs. Silverdale, 2:30 p.m.

(E-mail Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @larryfleming44)

 

Grissom's Palmer Ford slides safely into second base with a steal during the Tigers' 18-3 victory over Silverdale on Friday. Grissom scored seven runs in the second inning and nine in the third.
Grissom's Palmer Ford slides safely into second base with a steal during the Tigers' 18-3 victory over Silverdale on Friday. Grissom scored seven runs in the second inning and nine in the third.
photo by Dennis Norwood
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