CERRO GORDO – Fairmont scored 5 two-out runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge West Bladen 16-15 Thursday in the third-place game of the Columbus County Sports Network Junior Varsity Baseball Tournament.
Three hit batters, two walks, a single and an error produced the five runs. The tying and winning runs scored on an error.
The Knights took a 1-0 first-inning lead as T. J. Guyton slammed a double and scored on Trey Storms’ fielder’s choice.
Fairmont answered with 3 runs in the bottom of the second on 2 hits, a walk and a passed third strike.
West Bladen rallied with 6 runs in the third to take a 7-3 lead. Ian Sykes reached base on an error, and Jonathan Robinson walked. Storms reached base on an error as Sykes scored.
Catcher Jalen Drew knocked in Robinson and Storms with a double, and Shawn Oxendine belted a single to drive in Drew. Cameron Peterson followed with a single, and Guyton reached base on an error as Oxendine scored. Sykes smacked a single to drive in Peterson.
Fairmont trimmed the Knight lead to 7-5 in the bottom of the inning on two errors, a single and a hit batter.
The Knights exploded for 7 runs in the top of the fourth to widen the gap to 14-5. Storms reached base on an error, and Caleb Sholar smashed a double to drive in Storms. Drew and Oxendine drew walks, and Peterson swatted a single that plated Sholar.
Guyton walloped a double that scored Drew and Oxendine, and Sykes cracked a single that drove in Peterson and Guyton. After Jarrett Williams reached base on an error, Robinson’s sacrifice fly scored Sykes.
The Tornadoes turned two errors, a single and a walk into three runs in the bottom of the fifth that trimmed the margin to 14-8. Fairmont converted a pair of passed third strikes, a walk, a hit and two errors into 3 more runs in the sixth that closed the gap to 14-11.
West Bladen tacked on a run in the top of the seventh. Williams laced a lead-off single, and Storms delivered a one-out single. Sholar drove in Williams with a single that pushed the lead to 15-11.
Peterson batted 2-2 with a run batted in and 2 runs scored. Guyton drilled 2 doubles, scored twice and had 2 rbi’s. Sykes finished 2-4 at the plate with 2 runs scored and 3 rbi’s.
Sholar batted 2-5 with a double, 2 rbi’s and a run scored. Drew blasted a 2-run double and scored twice. Williams, Storms and Oxendine collected one single each. Storms and Oxendine scored 2 runs each, and Williams and Robinson scored one run each. Robinson, Storms and Oxendine had one rbi each.
Williams started on the mound for the Knights and pitched 5.2 innings, striking out 9 and giving up 11 runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. Derrick Long relieved and pitched the final inning, giving up 5 runs on 4 hit batters, 2 walks and a hit while striking out one.
West Bladen is now 7-4 and will host Midway Tuesday at 4 p.m.
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