The Lee University baseball team wasted opportunities to score in the second, third, fourth, eighth and 10th innings before allowing host University of West Alabama to post a run in the bottom of the 10th and defeat the Flames 2-1 on Friday afternoon.
The tough defeat dropped the Flames to 15-13 in conference play and 23-20 overall. The Tigers improved to 13-15, 21-22. The two teams will meet again in a doubleheader on Saturday which is slated to begin at 2 p.m. on Tartt Field.
In the top of the second, Lee opened the frame with a single by Tucker Platt.
With one out, Cooper Doughman pushed Platt around to third with a one-base knock. A foul out and a strikeout ended the rally. It was more of the same in the third. With one out, JJ Williams singled and Luke Collier was hit by a pitch. Both runners were stranded after a popup and a strikeout.
The fourth inning saw the Flames score their only run of the game. Josiah Miller drew a walk with one out and immediately stole second. He scored when Ashton Simmons singled. The rally ended on another strikeout.
West Alabama tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on a homerun by Jake Goolsby. Lee threatened to break the tie in the top of the eighth when Malachi Cloud doubled to right but was thrown out at third trying to stretch the double into a three-base hit. Doughman immediately reached on an error. Levi Cloud came on as a pinch runner and reached second on a ground out but died on another Lee strikeout.
One final chance to score for the Flames came in the top of the 10th. With two outs, Malachi Cloud collected a one-base hit and so did his brother Levi, but a deep fly out to center ended the threat. West Alabama got the winning rally started when Blake Vineyard doubled to open the frame. Nick Wilson put down a sac bunt to move Vineyard to third.
Lee Coach Mark Brew loaded the bases when he ordered intentional walks to Goolsby and Thomas Watson. Pinch hitter Wayne Wilkerson ended the suspense with a single to center that scored Vineyard with the winning run.
Lee got excellent pitching from Cooper Casteel. The lefty hurled 7.1 innings of five-hit ball. He allowed one run, walked just one and fanned six. Will Baker (2-6) came on to take the hard-luck loss. In two innings he surrendered four hits and an earned run, walking three (two intentionally) and striking out two.
The Tigers used four pitchers. Maxwell Schumacher pitched 7.1 innings, giving up seven hits, one earned run, seven strikeouts and a pair of walks. Ryan Ladner, Judah Buckner and Gates Pee (2-1) all pitched one inning with Pee getting the win.
Platt and Malachi Cloud had two hits each in leading the Flames in that department. Williams, Isaiah French, Levi Cloud, Miller and Simmons each had one knock. All totaled, Lee outhit the Tigers 10-9, but 10 Flame batters went down on strikes and eight West Alabama hitters fanned. Lee left 12 runners on base and the Tigers 10.
Coach Mark Brew’s thoughts:
“We had opportunities early, but simply didn’t execute offensively in those moments. Casteel and Baker kept matching them, but we just couldn’t get a big knock. Time to regroup and get back after it tomorrow.”