Sweet Water steals opener from Demopolis in 9th
Demopolis second baseman Matt Eicher steps on the bag and fires to first to turn a 5-4-3 double play during Monday’s season-opening game at Sweet Water High School.
SWEET WATER — It took nine innings to decide it, but the Bulldogs took an opening day victory from Demopolis 2-1 Monday night in dramatic fashion.
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, eighth grader Jonah Smith inched his way off first base and into a run-down situation. The feeble attempt at an advance to second drew the attention of the Demopolis defense, allowing Branson Davis to break from third base and slide into home with the winning run before the Tigers could throw home.
“(Demopolis pitcher Matt Eicher) just blew the ball by our guy. And he’s a feast or famine guy, so he’s not a contact guy. The ball is not going to be in play, so we just did what we had to do,” Sweet Water coach Kevin Byrd said of the base running call he made to end the game. “We took our chances on executing what we call an early play. We just show early. It gives us trouble (when we try to defend it).”
“I hate to lose a ball game due to pressure and it got us and that’s my fault,” Demopolis coach James Moody said. “They’re obviously trying to get the kid at first in a run-down and hope that this guy at third can continue to work down the line. We ran it to perfection. We gave it up to first and we just didn’t give it up to the plate soon enough. We ran it like it is supposed to be run, we just didn’t finish it. We didn’t finish the play and it came at the worst possible time that it could come.”
Davis entered the game as a pinch runner for Tanner Luker, who opened the inning with a double. The hit marked Luker’s second of the game and only the second of the contest for Sweet Water.
“We were just glad to be in it with such a young bunch,” Byrd, who relied heavily on underclassmen Monday, said. “It always comes down to plays. If they execute a bunt early in the game, we’re probably not playing. If we execute a bunt early in the game, we’re probably not playing. Any time you’re not capitalizing on plays, you’re just leaving it up to chance.”
The Bulldogs took an early lead in the contest when Will Huckabee led off the home half of the first inning with a walk. An errant throw on a pickoff attempt sailed into foul territory and caromed off the right field fence, allowing Huckabee to advance to third. Tate Gibbs followed with a RBI grounder to first to plate Huckabee and stake Sweet Water to a 1-0 lead.
Demopolis would put runners on base in every inning, but failed to push one across the plate frame after frame.
The Tigers amassed five hits in the game but struggled to string them together as they struck out 13 times in the contest.
“I saw what I expected to see,” Moody said of his team’s opening day performance. “I think what I was disappointed in more than anything was the second, third, fourth, fifth time through the order, our hitters didn’t change at all. They didn’t change their approach. They kept doing the same thing. They just reverted back to what’s comfortable to them. And what’s comfortable to them is not going to make us successful. So, they’re going to have to be willing to change and fail, but knowing we’re headed in the right direction.”
The Tigers finally broke through in the seventh inning. Ryan Schroeder dropped down a bunt single to reach first before taking second on a wild throw. Michael Brooker dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move him to third before Matt Eicher stroked a sac fly to center to plate Schroeder and tie the game.
Sweet Water used three pitchers to hold the Tiger bats at bay. Luker started the contest, working four innings and striking out six while surrendering two hits and three walks.
Paul Weatherly followed with a three-inning performance that saw him fan four batters, walk two and give up three hits. Tristan Weatherly (1-0) pitched the final two innings, recording three strikeouts and walking two batters for the win.
Demopolis utilized four pitchers to strikeout 15 batters in the effort. Adam Sellers started the game, striking out five batters over two innings while walking one and surrendering one unearned run.
Tyler Oates followed with a hitless three-frame outing that saw him strike out five and walk one.
Luke Yelverton gave up one hit and struck out three in his two innings of work while Eicher (0-1) walked one, struck out three and gave up no hits in his two innings of work.
“Pitching wise, I couldn’t ask for anything more. We were a little rusty. We got behind in counts some,” Moody said.
Wil Stephens led the offense for Demopolis, recording a single and a double in four trips to the plate. Eicher walked twice, reached on an infield single and recorded a RBI.
Oates reached on an error and drew three walks. Yelverton and Schroeder each hit an infield single. Michael Brooker and John Anthony Morrison each drew a walk in the game.
Demopolis is scheduled to play again Tuesday when it visits American Christian Academy.