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Raiders hold off late Tide rally
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The Long County Blue Tide baseball team is now in the midst of a three-game losing streak after falling to Savannah Christian for the second time in three days on Thursday, March 16. The game came down to the final inning as the Tide saw their rally fall just one run short in the 3-2 region loss.

The Tide came into the game having lost Tuesday’s game to the third-ranked Raiders 9-1. The second game was much closer, but the Tide did not get on the board until the sixth inning.

The Raiders took much less time getting on the board as they recorded three hits to score two runs in the first. The Tide did not record a hit until the third inning.

In the top of the second, the Raiders took advantage of a rarely-used rule. With two outs, Landon Runyon’s pitch was hit up the middle, seemingly toward Shannon Filkins at second base.

However, the field umpire was in the way of the ball as it bounced off his leg. Filkins made an athletic play and get the out at first.

By rule, however, if a ball makes contact with an umpire and the pitcher is the only defender in front of him, a dead ball is called and the batter is awarded a base hit to first.

Both teams had already gone into the dugout when officials called both teams back out to complete the inning after awarding the Raider batter first base, putting two on with two outs. The Raiders took advantage and added a third run to their lead.

Over the next four innings, the Tide got just three runners on base and record just one hit. Fortunately, Runyon found his stride in the third and proceeded to strike out six of the next nine batters he faced, including five straight between the third and fourth.

Runyon allowed just one hit over the next three innings and Nick Sizemore took his spot in the sixth. He struck out the first three batters he faced as the Tide came up to bat in the bottom of the sixth.

Sizemore walked to open the inning before Gio Jackson singled on a nice bunt. With two outs, Ryder Dawson, who has been clutch in crucial moments of games all season, came up big again. He crushed a ball to the centerfield wall, one that would have gotten out of the stadium on a windier night.

It ended in a two-run double for the senior as the Tide pulled within one run. Sizemore struck out the next three Raider batters to bring his total to six and the Tide’s streak to seven straight batters struck out.

However, it was three up, three down for the Tide in the bottom of the seventh, despite Elijah Lester nearly reaching on a leadoff pinch hit on a slide into first.

With the loss, the Tide have now lost three straight and fall to 10-6 and 2-2 on the season. They will be at it again with another tough region matchup against the Savannah Country Day Hornets next week. They will be on the road on Tuesday, March 21 before coming home to face off against the Hornets on Thursday, March 23. 

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