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PARKE HERITAGE BASEBALL SECTIONAL: Tiger Cubs rally twice, walk-off with win over Mounties
ROCKVILLE – You do not always have to make the most of all your opportunities, but in order to win close baseball games, you do have to make the most of at least one opportunity.
The Greencastle Tiger Cubs opened IHSAA Baseball Class 2A Sectional No. 44 play at Parke Heritage on Wednesday night and failed to convert a few key opportunities but made the most of their last one as Nathan Sutherlin had a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to provide the Cubs with a 6-5 victory over Southmont and the ability to advance in the tournament.
Greencastle left the bases loaded without scoring in the fourth and fifth innings, but made it count when it mattered. In a game that saw both teams have nearly identical statistical lines, the Cubs had the mental toughness and fortitude to come from behind and get the win.
Southmont’s season ended with a 5-18 record, while Greencastle improved to 13-11.
“Southmont played a heckuva game. I’ve been telling my guys all week, don’t look at their record. They did a good job of stifling us. Some things didn’t go our way at times. We didn’t play our best tonight, but our guys just kept grinding,” Greencastle head coach Ben Wells said.
Greencastle opened the scoring in the first inning as Jaylon Bushong reached base on an error and ended up scoring on a Trevin Long single to center for a 1-0 lead.
The first of several missed opportunities and bad luck were evident in the inning though. Chase Carrington opened the game with a rocket line drive, but right at the shortstop and Greencastle left the bases loaded.
“Chase opened the game with a screamer, but right at the shortstop. As a coach you think, ‘I hope it is not one of those nights’,” Wells said.
The Mounties tied the score at 1-1 in the second inning as Gunnar Shirk was able to come around to score on a Phisher Benge groundout. Greencastle had two runners in scoring position in the bottom half of the inning, but couldn’t convert.
Southmont took the lead in the third inning on a Carter Hubble single and would then extend the lead to 3-1 in the fifth inning on a Mason Hall groundout which scored Chayce Howell. The inning could have been worse for the Cubs, but a sliding catch in left field by Boyd Ensley saved some runs.
“That sliding basket catch by Boyd saved us. He is the type of kid every coach wants. He comes to work and does whatever we need him to do and does it with a great attitude,” Wells said.
“Mason (Hall) threw a great game for (Southmont). He must have thrown 85 curve balls. We really did not get to him.”
The Cubs loaded the bases in the fourth inning and came up empty, then did the same in the fifth inning.
Things looked dire for the Greencastle but then came the sixth inning and the rally started.
Bushong led off with a single, Sutherlin sliced a triple to right field to score Bushong and then scored on a Mountie error. Greencastle would get no more runs, but had the score tied at 3-3 heading into the final frame.
Southmont would retake the lead in the top of the final inning, putting together a walk, a pair of singles and a Cub error to go up 5-3, setting up the big finish.
Ethan Hamm got the rally started after being hit by a pitch. With two outs, Chase Carrington lined a double to center field. Bushong followed with another double that scored both runners to tie the score at 5-5.
Sutherlin then singled to right center and finished off the win in walk-off fashion.
“Nathan had been struggling earlier, but he is not just a good hitter, he is a great hitter. I told him I had all the confidence in him,” Wells said as his Cubs set up another matchup with North Putnam in the semifinals on Monday. The two teams have split a pair of games this season.
“You can’t script it any better than this. Two county rivals playing for the rubber match game,” Wells said.
Southmont 011 010 2 — 5 9 4
Greencastle 100 002 3 — 6 9 4
WP – Clark 6.0, Gooch 1.0
LP – Hall 5.0, Cox 1.2
2B – Cox (SHS), Carrington, Bushong (GHS)
3B – Sutherlin (GHS)
RBI – Cox, Hall, Hubble, Benge (SHS), Sutherlin 2, Bushong 2, Clark, Long (GHS)