Roughnecks Survive To Sting Mineola Walk-off Style

MIKE CARTER FIELD WAS THE HOST OF THE 3A REGION 2/4 AREA CHAMPIONSHIP BOUT BETWEEN THE WHITE OAK ROUGHNECKS, REPRESENTING REGION II DISTRICT 15, AGAINST THE MINEOLA YELLOWJACKETS, WHO REPRESENTED DISTRICT 13. THE RUNS ARRIVED RELATIVELY EARLY ON, WITH MINEOLA STRIKING FIRST WITH A WILD PITCH FROM ROUGHNECKS PITCHER GAVYN JONES TO GIVE THE ORANGE AND WHITE THE ONE RUN LEAD IN THE TOP OF THE SECOND INNING. MINEOLA WOULD ALSO SCORE THEIR SECOND AND FINAL RUN OF THE GAME OFF A BRAYSON ALLEY SACRIFICE FLY TO MAKE THE SCORE 2-0. BOTH BALL CLUB'S BATS FELL SILENT BUT PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITIES AROSE AS WELL. IN THE BOTTOM OF THE THIRD INNING, WHITE OAK’S NOAH FRITSCHE WOULD HIT A TWO-BAGGER TO PUT RUNNERS ON SECOND AND THIRD. GAVIN JONES WOULD GET WALKED INTENTIONALLY A BATTER LATER TO LOAD THE BASES WITH ONLY ONE OUT. YELLOWJACKET STARTING PITCHER SPENCER JOYNER WOULD FORCE BACK-TO-BACK FLYOUTS TO GET OUT OF THE JAM AND RETIRE THE SIDE. FOR THE NEXT TWO INNINGS, MINEOLA WOULD FORCE JONES TO WALK THREE SEPARATE BATTERS BUT WERE UNABLE TO GET A SINGLE HIT. THE TOP OF THE FIFTH INNING WOULD BEGIN THE REIGN OF LANDYN GRANT ON THE BUMP FOR WHITE OAK. GRANT WOULD NOT ONLY FINISH HIS OUTING WITH FIVE STRIKEOUTS WHILE ALLOWING NO RUNS AND TWO HITS, HE WOULD ALSO REPRESENT THE GAME TYING RUN. IN THE BOTTOM OF THE SIXTH INNING, GRANT WOULD CRACK A LEAD OFF SINGLE TO RIGHT FIELD, BRINGING UP DAVIS TOLIVER AS THE TYING RUN. TOLIVER WOULD HIT A RIGHT FIELD SINGLE OF HIS OWN, AS GRANT SLID INTO HOME SAFELY AND GAVE ROUGHNECK FANS THEIR SECOND LOUDEST POP OF THE EVENING. NOAH FRITSCHE WOULD STEP BACK INTO THE BATTER’S BOX AND TAKE A WILD PITCH FROM JOYNER THAT ALLOWED TOLIVER TO MOVE TO THIRD. A JOYNER STRIKEOUT WOULD STOP THE ROUGHNECK INNING INTO THE SEVENTH FRAME. TY BIRCH WOULD SINGLE, GIVING MINEOLA A RUNNER WITH ONLY ONE AWAY, BUT A KADEN BELL STRIKEOUT WOULD PUT A TEMPORARY DAMPER ON THE YELLOWJACKET MOMENTUM. AN ERROR AT SHORT FROM WHITE OAK WOULD PUT RUNNERS ON FIRST AND SECOND THIS TIME WITH TWO OUTS. BUT J.J. GANDY WOULD GROUND OUT TO THE MOUND FOR GRANT’S THIRD PUT OUT IN HIS TWO INNINGS OF RELIEF. GAVIN JONES WOULD OPEN THE WHITE OAK INNING WITH A LEAD-OFF WALK TO PUT THE GAME-WINNING RUN ON FIRST. THAT RUNNER WOULD BE ALL THE ROUGHNECKS NEEDED.