An anticipated pitching duel played out as expected Monday night at Bayou Academy in Cleveland where the Colts and the Indianola Academy Colonels met in a District 1AAA contest.
When all was said and done, however, the Colonels would suffer a heart-stopping 2-1 loss in this first of a three-game series as a seventh inning rally would fall just short.
The loss was absorbed despite a brilliant pitching performance by Josh Hill. The junior’s six innings of work only required 64 pitches to complete, all while in the process of allowing one earned run, four hits, and striking out six batters.
Now owning a 14-5, 6-1 record, the Colonels will attempt to pick up a pair of victories today, and salvage the three game series, when the Colts come to the IA field for a doubleheader which is set to begin at 4 p.m.
However, there are additional district games rapidly arriving which also have playoff implications attached to them.
For on Monday, the Colonels’ final district series prior to the playoffs is scheduled to begin when Kirk Academy of Grenada will visit IA for a 6 p.m. contest.
The series will then conclude next Tuesday when the Colonels travel to Kirk Academy for a doubleheader against the Raiders. First pitch is to be thrown at 4 p.m.
In IA’s recent 2-1 loss to Bayou Academy, the Colonels saw the Colts break open a scoreless game in the fifth inning by parlaying two hit batters, a walk, and an error to plate what proved to be the game- clinching runs.
The Colonels, however, made one final attempt to claim the game in their half of the seventh frame.
After sophomores Spencer Roberson and Thomas Putnam’s long at bats coerced walks out of the Bayou Academy pitcher to open the inning, a Colts error on a Sebastian Harris bunt loaded the bases.
Roberson would later race home on a passed ball to narrow the score to its’ final 2-1 margin.
However, this ended IA’s scoring in the game after a one out intentional walk to Wesley Lester loaded the bases once again.
The strategy paid off as a fielder’s choice groundball force out at home and a strikeout brought the game to an end.
At the plate the Colonels managed three hits with Lester’s wall-banging double pacing the attack.
Other IA baseball action occurred last Wednesday with a double header sweep (8-4, 12-0) of North Delta School while in Batesville.
In the initial game, the Colonels claimed their 8-4 victory despite a slow start which included overcoming a 3-0 deficit after three innings of play.
The IA bats came alive in the top of the fourth frame, a rally which began with Wesley Lester’s leadoff line drive home run over the left field fence.
Three more runs would then cross the plate in rapid succession, a scoring spree which began and ended with a single by Josh Hill and a two RBI single by James Hill.
On the mound, Reed Junkin would claim the win as the junior’s six innings of work allowed seven hits while striking out six Green Wave batters.
Will Davis would get the save as his one inning of work earned three strikeouts and no walks.
At the plate the Colonels’ nine hit attack was led by Lester, who added a pair of singles to his home run.
Also delivering a pair of singles apiece were Logan White and James Hill.
In IA’s nightcap 12-0 victory, Davis would start the game on the mound and hurl a no-hitter for six innings of the game.
North Delta batters would finally earn two hits in the seventh inning, although Davis preserved his shutout while striking out five batters and walking one. The junior’s stellar pitching performance only required 75 pitches to complete.
Accumulating eight hits in the game, Josh Hill slapped three singles which delivered three RBI’s to lead the team’s attack.
While Harris drilled a double and a single against the North Delta pitching staff, Lester’s second homer of the day was a near duplicate of his opening game blast.
