Grayson County pushed across a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Wednesday at Don Lee Field to overcome a one-run deficit and take a 4-3 win over the visiting Edmonson County Wildcats.
Sophomore right-hander Cain Smith went all seven innings to earn the win for the Cougars, allowing five hits and only a single earned run. Cain walked three and struck out eight Wildcats. Cain also helped himself on offense with a pair of singles and two runs scored.
All three walks Smith allowed came in the second inning, when the Wildcats took a 1-0 lead. Smith retired the first two batters of the inning before giving up a single to first-baseman Tanner Woodcock. Smith then temporarily lost his control, walking the next three batters to force in the run. He regained control after that, striking out leadoff hitter Tucker Cole looking to end the inning.
The Cougars answered back with a run of their own in the bottom of the second to tie things at 1-1. Smith led off with a single into left field and was sacrificed to second by Rylee Shoemaker. Ryan Johnson struck out for the second out before DH Jake Hawkins walked, putting runners at first and second.
Third baseman Nathan Fentress followed with a single up the middle which plated Smith to tie the score. The speed-challenged Hawkins inexplicably tried to advance to third on the play and was thrown out by about 15 feet to end the inning.
The Cougars scored again in the third inning to take a 2-1 lead without hitting a ball out of the infield. Caden Woodcock led off by beating out a slow roller in the infield, then advancing to second on an errant pickoff attempt by Wildcat starter Jacob Vincent.
Shoemaker laid down another sacrifice bunt to advance Woodcock to third, from where he scored on a groundout by catcher Briley Napier.
Some shoddy infield play by the Cougars led to a pair of unearned Wildcat runs in the fifth inning. Cole led off the inning by hitting a high hopper back through the middle which Smith got a glove on but on which was unable to make a play.
Smith then had Cole picked off first base, but the Cougars botched the rundown play when shortstop Noah Bullock threw the ball away at first base, allowing Cole to advance to second.
Logan Minton followed by hitting a slow roller to Bullock at short which he beat out for a hit, but when Bullock’s throw to first was wild, Cole advanced to third base. After Minton took second on catcher’s indifference, Logan Lindsey drove in the tying run with a ground out to Woodcock at second. Minton advanced to third on the play and later scored on a single to right by Preston Dunn to put the Wildcats in front 3-2.
The Cougars threatened in their half of the fifth, putting a runner into scoring position with one out, but Vincent retired the next two batters to end the inning.
But in the sixth, the Cougars came up with the winning runs without the benefit of a hit. With one out, right fielder Braxton Hodges was hit by a pitch by Minton, who had entered at the top of the inning in relief of Vincent.
A passed ball moved Hodges to second, and when Smith hit a little topper in front of the mound, Minton tried unsuccessfully to get Hodges at third base and everyone was safe, putting runners at the corners.
That brought up Shoemaker, who for the third time laid down a sacrifice trying to move Smith into scoring position. But when the ball hopped over the glove of Tanner Woodcock at first, Hodges scored to tie things at 3-3.
Johnson followed with a successful sacrifice bunt to move Smith to third, from where he scored on a wild pitch to put the Cougars back in front 4-3.
Smith then worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning, including a strikeout of Logan Lindsey looking to end the game.
With the win, the Cougars improved to 3-9 on the season.
By Don Brown, Local Sports
Reach Don at donbrown@k105.com
Cain Smith slid home with what turned out to be the
winning run following a wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Noah Bullock successfully stole second base in the first inning.
Cain Smith fielded a little tapper in front of the
mound for an out in the first inning.
