The Long County Blue Tide baseball team made a furious late-game rally to defeat the Bacon County Red Raiders on Thursday, February 23. The team won its sixth game of the season by walking off against the Raiders 5-4 on Kenny Pickens’ two-run knock.

Up 1-0 in the third inning, the Raiders added three more runs in the top of the frame. Two runs came on a base-clearing triple while the follow-up single scored the fourth run of the game for the Raiders.

The Tide to get on the board in the bottom of the third.

Creighton Rogers and Shannon Filkins both singled to get on base before Landon Runyon brought home the Tide’s first run of the game on a single between third base and shortstop.

The score remained 4-1 going into the sixth inning, but not before the Raiders kept the Tide off the board in the fourth with a line-drive double play to end the inning.

The Tide kept the Raiders from adding to their lead in the fifth as Elijah Lester made a great throw from a cutoff to get an out at home.

In the sixth inning, Gio Jackson walked before Pickens singled to move him to second. Lester reached on a fielder’s choice before Ryder Dawson brought home his fellow senior to cut the Raiders’ lead in half.

Dawson took the mound in the seventh inning for his first career mound appearance. Despite allowing two hits, he kept the Raiders off the board as the Tide went into the bottom of the inning down by two.

Rogers went down to open the bottom of the inning before Filkins recorded his fourth hit of the game. Sizemore singled, as did Runyon to load the bases with one out.

Jackson singled to bring home Filkins before Pickens came up to bat with the bases loaded, one out and down 4-3. He smacked a shot into left field as Sizemore scored.

Runyon ignored the sign to stop and headed home. The throw was just off target as Runyon scored to complete the walk-off, giving the Tide the 5-4 victory.

Pickens was 3-for-4 with two RBIs on the day while Dawson got the save and win on the mound for the Tide.