Displaying what Lee head baseball coach Mark Brew called “one of the gutsiest responses by a team I have ever had”, the Flames scored four runs in the top of the seventh inning to earn a split against 24th-ranked Mississippi College on Friday.
“It was back-and-forth all day (game two) before we got all those big hits in the seventh,” added Brew after the 10-7 victory. The Flames will seek to claim the series on Saturday afternoon when they face the Choctaws again in a single nine-inning contest slated for a 1 p.m.
first pitch.
The opening game, won by the Choctaws, 5-4, saw the home-plate umpire hit in the mask. According to coach Brew the umpire had to be taken to a hospital after passing out. The two clubs waited for 90 minutes for an alternate umpire to arrive.
Tyler Payne continued his standout performances at the plate with four hits and four RBI in the doubleheader. In the nightcap, his single scored Spencer Mossburg and Chase Andrews. Jordan Howard followed with a one-base hit to score Payne and Dalton Ney.
Howard had two hits and three RBI in the victory, while Peyton Meeker delivered a pair of hits and scored twice. Mossburg had a hit but more importantly scored three big runs.
A see-saw battle saw Lee go up 4-2 before Mississippi College rallied for two runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth to take the upper hand, 7-6. The Flames would not be denied and came back with four runs in the seventh to salt the victory away.
Pat Morrow started for the Flames and worked four innings, allowing six hits and four earned runs. He fanned seven and walked four. Thomas Zazzaro followed with 1.1 innings. He was touched for three hits and three earned runs, striking out two and walking one. Logan Workman drew praise from coach Brew, taking the bump for the final 1.2 innings. He gave up just one hit, struck out two and issued one free pass.
“Logan (Workman) secured some huge outs on the day and Jay Prior really threw well in game one,” injected Brew after a long day of baseball which started at 3 p.m. and did not wrap up until near the midnight hour.
Hunter Mullis was the starting hurler for the Choctaws. In 3.1 innings he allowed seven hits and two earned runs. Christian Bellew followed for 2.1 innings and gave up two earned runs. Tommy Taborda was charged with the defeat after allowing a hit and two earned runs in 0.1 innings.
Game 1 – Mississippi College 5, Lee 4
In a contest that saw the Flames commit eight errors but still having a chance to win, the Choctaws scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to pull out the 5-4 win.
Trailing most of the game, the Flames scored a single run in the fifth inning and then took the lead in the eighth with three runs to go up 4-3.
The Choctaws took advantage of a walk and a hit batter in the bottom of the inning. An intentional walk loaded the sacks and a sacrifice fly by Hunter Sykes plated the winning run
Lee tallied its single run in the fifth when Payne’s single scored Ney. The rally in the eighth came with one out and a one-base hit by Meeker scored Chase Gadau and Miguel Pimentel. Earlier in the frame, Howard singled and later scored on a passed ball.
Payne and Pimentel collected a pair of hits each for the Flames. Fernando Ortiz and Howard had Lee’s other safe knocks.
The Flames used four hurlers in the loss. Justen Freeman started and left early after only 3.1 innings. The right-hander allowed four hits, two earned runs, walked one and struck out two. An injury to the umpire forced a long delay.
When play started back Jay Pryor came on to pitch the next 3.2 of excellent baseball. Pryor surrendered two hits and struck out three. Wes Albert worked an inning, giving up a hit, two walks and recorded a strikeout. Logan Workman registered .2 innings. Albert was charged with the loss.
Mississippi College got a strong starting performance from Chris Crosby. In seven innings, he allowed four hits, two runs, struck out six and walked two. Brandon Kennedy came on to pick up the victory. He hurled 1.2 innings of two-hit ball, giving up an earned run while walking two and striking out one.