NEWS PHOTO RYAN MCCRACKEN
McCoy Colts' Jayden Ball celebrates with a teammate after scoring a run in a Tuesday, April 30, 2019 high school baseball game against the Hat High Mohawks at Jefferies Park. The Colts won the game 8-6 in eight innings.
The McCoy Colts varsity baseball team shook off a tough inning and bounced back to steal an 8-6 extra-innings victory from the hands of the Hat High Mohawks on Tuesday night at Jefferies Park.
McCoy came out of the gates in a gallop, striking for two runs in the top of the first then stretching their lead to three in the second, but the Mohawks came storming back in the fourth after taking advantage of some struggles on the hill.
While the Mohawks rallied for five in the frame then added another in the fifth to take over a three-run lead, the Colts dug in and chipped away at the lead before forcing an eighth inning and securing a narrow victory.
McCoy opened the seventh on a walk from Reese Whelen and a single from Kayden Berndt, then Joel Herron and Ben van der Sloot brought them both around on an RBI groundout and a single, respectively, to knot things up.
Carson Sauter held the Mohawks off the board in the seventh to keep the door open, then Whelen brought in the winning run on an RBI single to right in the top of the eighth and Jayden Ball crossed on an error for some insurance.
Hat High managed to bring the tying run to the plate in the eighth thanks to a walk from Kobe Coderre, but McCoy’s Evan Morrison shut the door with three strikeouts in the frame to secure the save.
Sauter collected the win for McCoy after entering in relief of starter Jaden Schwindt partway through the fourth inning and holding the Mohawks to one run on three walks with three strikeouts through 3 and 2/3 innings of work.
Tory Nelson settled for the loss after allowing four runs on four hits and two walks in two innings. Nelson also fanned three batters.
Mohawks starter Ashtyn Street left the hill after holding McCoy to four runs on eight hits and three walks with three strikeouts in six innings.
Whelen finished 3-for-4 with the game-winning RBI.
The Mohawks racked up 11 walks – six of which helped provide five runs in the fourth – but Josh Stark picked up their lone hit of the ball-game with a single in the fourth.
