With the baseball game tied 5-5 at the bottom of the seventh inning, Bradwell Institute baseball player Sage Sammons dug deep and earned his first career walk-off win as the Tigers beat Jenkins, 6-5, Friday night. It also was the Tigers’ first Region 3-AAAAA win of the season.
“It’s always nice to get a region win, and this happens to be our first region win,” Tiger baseball coach Jeff Polk said. “I had told the guys I don’t care how it comes, a win is a win.”
Sammons had a big night at bat, going 2-of-4 with two doubles, one RBI and one run scored. The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the first, scoring two runs.
In the second inning, the Warriors had runners on first and third. The next batter hit the ball toward Tiger third baseman Chris Bell. Bell nabbed the ball off a bounce and threw to home, negating a possible run by the Warriors. The Tigers then caught a runner off base at third, leaving two base runners without a chance to score.
In the bottom of the inning, the Tigers loaded the bases, and Maxwell Ashe was walked to bring in another Tiger run. The Warriors did convert a double play, however, keeping the Tigers from adding two potential runs.
Jenkins started a rally in the third inning, mustering three runs off two hits to tie the game.
The visiting team had another hit to take the 4-3 lead. The Warriors attempted to steal third. The Tigers’ toss went over Bell’s head and into the dugout. That gave the Warriors a 5-3 lead.
In the bottom of the third, Sammons hit one of his two doubles. Tiger Evan Crystal helped advance Sammons to third base. Sammons then ran home when a wild pitch went behind the catcher and he couldn’t find the ball.
Going into the bottom of the sixth, the Bradwell boys still trailed, 5-4.
Facing two outs, Tiger Chris Nunn got a base hit. Nunn stole second, and the Warriors made a bad toss, allowing him to reach third base.
Darrell Hawkins was hit by a pitch, and Ryan Desbiens reached first on a throwing error, allowing Nunn to tie the game at 5-5.
The Tiger defense held the Warriors during the top of the seventh inning, and the home team took their last at-bat.
Bell’s bat connected with the ball. He beat the toss to first and stole second. That’s when Sammons hit the walk-off double for a 6-5 victory.
Polk said he thinks this could be a turning point for his team after they struggled at Effingham County and Richmond Hill during their first two region games.
“I am hoping that we start playing like we are capable of playing,” he said, adding that despite their win against Jenkins, he still thinks his boys could do better.
“Tonight, I don’t think we played the way we are capable of playing, but a win is a win and, hopefully, we can get back on track,” he said.
Polk said his team didn’t make a hit against Effingham County.
“Our defense let us down a little bit. Obviously, we struggled hitting … we didn’t get a hit against Effingham, but we beat ourselves,” he said. “At Richmond Hill, they just hit the ball. Richmond Hill can hit and they’ve always been able to hit. They hit and we didn’t, but we overcame that today and we banged out a win.”
Bell finished the night going 2-of-4. Desbiens was 1-of-3, and Nunn was 1-of-3 with two runs scored. Darrell Hawkins was 1-of-2.
The Tigers had five fielding errors, primarily in the third inning, that allowed Jenkins back in the game.
Sammons pitched the first three innings, walking three batters. Tiger freshman Evan Crystal pitched four innings, tossing four strikeouts and walking one batter. The Tigers now are 3-5 overall and 1-2 in the region. They host Ware County at 5 p.m. Tuesday.