Raiders get big win in 7-4A opener

Published 12:03 am Saturday, April 8, 2006

Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the seventh, Southeast scored two runs on a squeeze bunt and a two-out bases-loaded walk — the Raiders’ fourth of the inning — to open the Region 7-4A season with a thrilling 4-3 win over rival Dalton on Friday night.

Raiders freshman Michael Simpson led off the seventh with a double off the right-field wall. Kevin DeLaCruz and Heath Lock walked to load the bases. With one out, Nick Gentry’s squeeze bunt tied the game at 3. Then Dalton’s Jordan Dean, the Cats’ third pitcher, walked Mitchell Bryant to load the bases again.

Dean walked Tyler Watson on a 3-2 pitch, forcing in the game-winning run.

“This is a scrappy ballclub that won’t give up,” Southeast coach Jason Keller said of his Raiders (6-8, 1-0). “We didn’t have much confidence coming out of the break, but we just want an opportunity to be in the playoffs when we play our last region game.”

Southeast’s Heath Lock picked up the win by going the distance and limiting the Cats (9-6, 0-1) to three hits. He struck out 12, but a throwing error on an attempted pickoff at third base led to Dalton’s go-ahead run in the sixth.

“I just held on to the ball too long and it got away from me,” said Lock, who now has 67 strikeouts in 35 innings.

Clint Harkins walked and went to third on Lock’s errant throw. He scored the go-ahead run on a delayed steal of home.

But the Raiders rallied.

And Cats coach Teddy Craig was disappointed with the home plate umpire’s calls, not only in the seventh inning when Cats pitchers walked four, but the entire game.

“This isn’t sour grapes, this is about an umpire who did a poor job all night both ways,” Craig said. “I’ve been in this business 14 years and that’s the worst I’ve seen. It’s a shame that guy is officiating high school athletics. Otherwise, it was a great high school game.”

Dalton went up 2-0 in the first inning, but Southeast’s Michael Rangel hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.

Northwest 6, Ridgeland 3: The defending Region 7-4A champs took their first step toward a repeat with a victory in the region opener in Rossville.

The Bruins (9-6, 1-0) made just one error, found the hits and runs they needed in a four-run sixth inning and got a solid effort from starter Cody Long.

“Cody pitched a great game,” Northwest coach Todd Middleton said. “He had been a little inconsistent so far this year, but he really came on and did a great job against a really good hitting team.”

Long worked the complete game to improve to 4-1, allowing three earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out seven.

Trailing 2-0 in the fourth inning, the Bruins picked up two runs on Brisco Bingham’s sacrifice fly and an RBI single from Aaron Truelove.

In the sixth, Garett Burgess doubled for the second time and scored when the Panthers’ center fielder couldn’t handle Austin Brock’s drive. Brisco Bingham drove in courtesy runner Drew Smith, while Truelove’s two-run double brought in Nathan Pratt — who had reached on a walk — and pinch-runner Jake Souther.

Truelove was 2-for-3 with two RBIs, Bingham had a hit and two RBIs, and Cody Long and Zeb Hensley each went 2-for-4.

The Panthers (9-6, 0-1) picked up two runs in the second and another in the seventh.

Woodland 8, Murray 0: The Indians (11-2, 0-1) had five more errors, with seven, than hits in a forgettable visit to the Wildcats (5-8, 1-0) as they opened region play.

Both teams combined for eight hits as Woodland’s Nathan Vineyard stole the show with a 15-strikeout performance to pick up the win.

Vineyard had just one walk and was lifted after throwing 78 pitches in six innings. Brandon Ayers pitched the seventh with one strikeout.

Zeb Heidt (4-1) worked four innings and took his first loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits while walking two and striking out four. Heidt also had three wild pitches and hit two batters.

Working in relief, Dakota Nelson pitched a 1-2-3 fifth before things came unhinged in the sixth as a walk, two hit batters and three errors helped the Wildcats add five runs.