Defiance catcher Cody Shaw applies the tag on Bath’s Joel Rasor during Thursday’s game at Bath.
Jose Nogueras | The Lima News
They were stunned. Shocked. Disappointed.
But one thing Bath’s baseball was not as it headed into the bottom of the seventh inning – the inning when it regrouped and rallied to beat Defiance 3-2 on Thursday – was beaten or beaten down after allowing the Bulldogs to tie the game in the top of that inning.
The Wildcats (10-9 overall, 6-2 Western Buckeye League) appeared to have the game all but wrapped up in the top of the seventh when they were one out away from winning before Defiance (18-3, 6-2 WBL) tied the game at 2-2 by scoring on two errors and a stolen base.
It was a crusher. But Bath had an answer. An answer that ended with Skyler Lhamon crushing a triple over the centerfielder’s head and pinch-runner Eli Jesko flying around the bases with the winning run.
Suddenly, the emotion of the moment became elation.
“It hurt a lot when they tied it up because we had it. A little mistake like that can ruin the momentum sometimes,” Lhamon said. “We said, ‘We are not going to let something like that beat us again.’ All year we lost to teams by stuff like that. So we just said we were not going to let that beat us and determine how the outcome of the game is.”
Winning pitcher Blaine Albright (12 strikeouts, 1 walk, 4 hits allowed) said, “We were all together. We kind of moved on and let that go and knew we could still win this game.”
Thursday’s win put Bath in position to win a share of its first WBL baseball title since 1990.
“It was huge. This is the first time in 33 years we can tie for first place (in the Western Buckeye League) or even win it. It means a lot to everyone on this team,” Lhamon said.
It was also big because Defiance has won 27 league championships and 80 percent of its games since joining the WBL in 1973.
Defiance never led. Bath went up 1-0 in the bottom of the second inning when Ricky Deppe tripled to score Cade Price. Defiance tied the game in the top of the fourth on a single, a walk and a Bath error.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the sixth when Quinton Collins led off with a single and moved up on a pitch in the dirt and a ground out before Albright doubled to score him and give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead.
Albright, who went 3 for 3 at the plate, struck out nine Defiance hitters in the first four innings, and struck out the side in the seventh inning. The Indiana University recruit said he used his fastball and curve exclusively and left his change up and slider on the shelf.
“This game is one I’ve had circled on my calendar for about a year. It meant everything. I’ve worked all offseason for this. It meant a lot. I came ready to play,” Albright said.
Bath coach Joe Gomez said, “He (Albright) was locked in. He told me two weeks ago when we were supposed to play this game (when it was rained out) that he wanted this game and that he was going to be ready. He was on today. Everything they had they had to earn or we gave it to them.”
Deppe led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a single against Defiance pitcher Aidan Kiessling (7 strikeouts, 1 walk).
He was forced out at second on a grounder by designated hitter Gabe Butler, which brought Jesko in as a pinch-runner at first base.
Lhamon struck out twice earlier in the game and guessed that Kiessling might employ the same strategy in his third plate appearance.
“He blew me away on two fastballs and I knew he was going to come back with another one. So, I was like, ‘I’m going to hit it.’ And I hit it,” Lhamon said.
Gomez said, “Skyler is a guy who when he goes up there he doesn’t get cheated on his swings. It was one of those things where we had a guy who was going to go up there and swing as hard as he could against a guy who was going to throw it as hard as he could. And Skyler made great connection and hit it in a spot where we were able to get a guy around from first.”
Reach Jim Naveau at 567-242-0414.
