The Lee University baseball team will battle an old rival in Trevecca Nazarene as they seek to stay alive in the loser’s bracket of the Gulf South Conference Championship which is being staged at Choccolocco Park. The 7th-seeded Flames fell to 2nd-seeded Valdosta State University on Friday evening in the opening round, 6-4.
The loss dropped Lee to 24-25 overall while the Blazers improved to 30-20. The tournament officials are struggling with the weather situation, and it is uncertain when Saturday’s game against the Trojans will get underway.
Heavy rains and storms are predicted tonight and tomorrow in the Oxford area.
Lee put three runs on the board in the first inning, and it appeared like they might be headed for more. JJ Williams walked to start the game. Luke Collier followed with a one-base hit and the Blazers misplayed a bunt by Isaiah French, which allowed Williams to score. Collier tallied the second run on a wild pitch. Brock Sisson delivered a one-base knock and Malachi Cloud reached on an error that allowed French to tally the third run (unearned). Cooper Doughman drew a free pass but the rally came to an end on a fly out to centerfield.
The Blazers tallied a single run in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 3-1 and it stayed that way until the bottom of the third. Valdosta State put together a double, three singles and were aided by an error to capture the lead at 4-3.
Three insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning turned out to be big for the Blazers. Lee starting pitcher Cooper Casteel was lifted after giving up a single and hitting a batter. Jax Howard retired the first hitter he faced, and Coach Mark Brew ordered an intentional walk to Orlando Pena to load the bases. Hunter Stowe delivered a ground ball that just got by the Lee infielders and pushed two runners across the plate to make it a 6-3 contest.
Lee had one final chance in the top of the ninth. Malachi Cloud produced his second hit of the afternoon. Doughman reached on a fielder’s choice that retired Cloud at second. Braden Gabel came on as a pinch runner and Josiah Miller picked up a free pass. Levi Cloud was hit by a pitch and the sacks were jammed in what was the best opportunity of the game for the Flames.
With the two top hitters up, Williams collected a RBI on a fielder’s choice to make it 6-4, but two men were out. Collier, who had been Lee’s best at the dish all season, couldn’t handle the pitching of Ryan Brown for the last out.
The Flames had a seven-hit total. Sisson had two hits while Malachi Cloud doubled and singled. Collier, Tucker Platt and Gavin Baxter had the other knocks. Williams had Lee’s only RBI and also scored a run while Collier, French and Gabel cross home for the other scores.
Casteel (6-5) battled the Blazers for six innings and was charged with a tough defeat. He allowed eight hits and only three earned runs. Howard worked the final two frames. He gave up three hits and no earned runs, fanned two and walked one.
Valdosta State collected 11 hits with Stowe leading the way. He collected three RBIs, two hits and scored a run. Pedro Moreno also two knocks and tallied a run. DJ Banks doubled and posted a score while Jovanni Canegitta came up with a big hit that resulted in two runs scored. Easton Hood garnered a pair of singles while Pena and Carson Russell scored runs.
Hunter Booth (8-5) hurled seven innings of five-hit ball. He allowed only one earned run while striking out four and walking two. Anthony Martens pitched an inning, and Brown was called on in the ninth. The lefty worked out of a jam and picked up his eighth save of the year.
Coach Mark Brew’s thoughts:
“We had a great start against a pitcher that we’ve traditionally struggled with but couldn’t piece together anything offensively in the middle innings. Casteel did a great job of keeping us in it and we had a chance in the end. The weather is crazy right now and delays are coming. So we don’t know what tomorrow looks like at this point, but we need to be ready to go when we find out what the schedule will be.”