Senior lefthander Jacob Hargrove struck out the side to end the game with the tying and winning runs in scoring position Saturday night to preserve a 3-2 Four County Conference baseball victory for Wallace-Rose Hill at West Bladen.
Hargrove had carried a 3-0 lead into the home half of the seventh but walked lead-off batter Jeremy Hunt, and senior Trevor Lesane tomahawked a high fastball for a single to rightfield that sent Hunt to third base.
The Bulldog thirdbaseman bobbled senior Colby McLean’s grounder as Hunt raced home. Lesane wound up at third, and McLean later stole second base. Hargrove bounced a third-strike curve ball to Trent West that allowed West to reach base.
Lesane dashed home on a wild pitch with the second run, and West stole second base to put the winning run at second base, but Hargrove fanned the next 3 hitters.
It was a frustrating game for Coach Kim Cain’s Knights who outhit Wallace 8-1 and left 12 runners on base.
Junior Chandler Lennon pitched the one-hitter for the Knights, striking out 6, walking 5 and allowing only one earned run. Hargrove gave up 8 hits, 2 walks and one earned run, while striking out eight.
In the Knight second, senior Michael Pastore belted a single to right-centerfield, and an error on Seth Britt’s sacrifice bunt put 2 runners on base. Lennon smacked an opposite-field single to left to load the bases, but Hargrove retired the next 2 hitters on a pop-up and a line drive to rightfield.
Two walks followed by senior Walker Imwalle’s run-scoring single put Wallace ahead 1-0 in the third inning.
A trio of Knight errors produced two more Wallace runs in the fourth inning.
Lesane and McLean cracked 2-out singles in the Knight fifth inning, but a close call at first base resulted in the third out. The first out in the inning had been a diving catch of a low liner by the Bulldog shortstop.
With 2 out in the West Bladen sixth, pinch-hitter Donald McCullom walked and Lennon laced a single to left-centerfield, but a fly ball to centerfield ended the inning.
Lesane batted 3-4 with a run scored to lead the Knight hitters. Lennon finished 2-3 at the plate. Britt, Pastore and McLean connected for one hit each.
West Bladen, now 5-5 in conference play and 8-7 overall, will travel to Pender Monday for a 6:30 game.
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