Facing a potential two-game skid after a three-run lead evaporated, the No. 8 Brownwood Lions instead displayed their resiliency once again and returned to the win column with a crucial 6-5 walk-off victory over the Graham Steers in District 6-4A baseball action Friday night at Morris Southall Field.
Trailing 5-4 in the bottom of the seventh inning after surrendering a pair of runs in the top half to fall behind, the Lions started their final at-bat against reliever Harison Brockaway with Gavin Brandstetter – who drove in the Lions’ fourth run with an RBI single in the fourth inning – at the plate.
Facing a 2-2 count, Brandstetter launched a solo home run off the scoreboard in left-center field, knotting the score at 4, but the party was just beginning for Brownwood.
Logan Posey, who belted a three-run home run in the bottom of the first inning to start the scoring, followed by rocketing a triple off the base off the wall in right-center field.
With the infield pulled in and courtesy-runner Ike Hall taking over at third base, Jack Field poked an RBI single into shallow right field, as Hall scored with ease and the Lions dog-piled their right fielder near first base after the game-winning hit.
“They kept battling, they kept fighting and they didn’t give up,” said Lions head coach Blake Sandford. “It’s too easy in life to give up when things do go our way. Credit to Graham for doing a really good job of staying in the game. We had some moments where we had a lull, but we stayed close enough to give us a chance to win at the end and all the credit goes to the kids.”
Brownwood jumped out a 3-0 lead in the first off Graham starting pitcher Bruin Wright, who recorded just one out before exiting. Jordyn Nickerson and David Turner drew consecutive walks to start the game, but Nickerson was thrown out trying to steal second base. Brandstetter then followed with a single ahead of Posey’s blast to left field.
The Lions had a chance to further extend the lead in the first as Field and Austin Pittman were both hit by pitches, then Austin Wright singled to fill the sacks. But reliever Mason Milton retired Eli Hill for the final out as Brownwood stranded three base runners.
“One of the things we’re working on in practice is trying to become a little bit more savage when we have runners on base,” Sandford said. “We worked extensively as trying to turn something we haven’t been successful at into something that’s successful. That’s always going to be something that’s a work in progress.”
Graham cut the deficit to 3-1 in the fourth as a pair of errors in the frame – one to start the inning and the second with two outs – pushed Ryder Taylor across the plate.
Brownwood got the run back in the bottom of the fourth as Turner drew a one-out walk and pinch-runner Weston Wolf advanced to second on a passed ball and third on an errant pick-off throw ahead of Brandstetter’s RBI single to left field.
The Steers then responded with four runs in a row, first trimming the deficit to 4-3 in the fifth inning. Wright singled and Tripp Mahaney walked against Brownwood starting pitcher Yovani Figueroa with one out, then Taylor drew a two-out free pass. Tate Loesch then delivered a two-RBI single to left field that chased Figueroa and brought on Noah Gonzalez, who recorded the final out, in relief.
Needing three outs to lock up the victory, the Lions ran into uncharacteristic trouble in the top of the seventh. Ty Thompson led off with a single up the middle, then Taylor and Loesch both laid down bunts that neither Posey nor Gonzalez could field cleanly. With the bases loaded and no outs, an RBI single by Brockaway plated Thompson with the tying run.
Gonzalez then struck out Milton, but Colter Johnson’s fly ball to deep left field plated Taylor with the go-ahead run on an RBI sacrifice fly. Gonzalez then fanned Scout Smith to get out of the inning.
Figueroa and Gonzalez combined to yield five runs – the most allowed by Brownwood since a 6-4 loss to Brock on March 1 – on five hits with 13 strikeouts and four walks. Just two of the runs were earned, however, as the Lions defense committed four errors.
“Our pitchers have a done great job all year of keeping us in ball games,” Sandford said. “Every once in a while we get a little bananas by Yovani has been one of the best pitchers in the district and Noah as well. They’re pretty salty and are usually going to give us a chance to win if we can piece together some hits and runs.”
At the plate, the Lions generated nine hits – three apiece by Brandstetter and Posey, who combined for five RBIs – and one each from Nickerson, Wright and Field, who provided the other RBI.
With the victory, the Lions (18-5-1, 7-1) lead Stephenville (16-7-1, 4-2) – which had another district bye Friday – by two games with the Yellow Jackets on the schedule for home-and-home dates next week. Brownwood leads Graham (11-10, 4-4) by three games and owns any potential tiebreaker due to winning the series two games to one.
The Lions host Stephenville at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Morris Southall Field, where a victory would give Brownwood the tiebreaker edge over the Yellow Jackets in any possible tie scenario between the two squads.
“Every game is huge to me, but we know Stephenville is coming to town licking their chops trying to make amends for the first game we played against them,” Sandford said. “A lot times in these games you have to play your game and make routine plays, have successful at-bats and pitch it well. Mostly you just have to worry about yourself more than anything else.”
