Big sixth inning helps South Johnston deal Cleveland Rams baseball first conference loss
Things just got a lot more interesting in the Two Rivers 3A Conference baseball race.
South Johnston scored four runs in the sixth inning to give Cleveland its first conference blemish of the season in an important 5-2 win Tuesday night, climbing to within one in the loss column of the Rams.
The Trojans’ mantra this season has revolved around expecting to win but South Johnston needed a couple of Cleveland (17-3, 6-1) miscues late to make that sentiment a reality.
A fly ball lost in the lights led to one run for the Trojans (12-7, 5-2) in the fifth inning and then two more errors, one coming on a shallow fly ball that fell between the third baseman and shortstop, led to four big runs for South Johnston in the sixth.
“We got a break with a ball that flies in the sky and disappears but that’s part of it,” South Johnston coach Aaron Parnell said. “You put the ball in play and good things happen for you.”
Turning point
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning, South Johnston managed to get two runners into scoring position with two outs. Zachary McLamb then came to the plate and hit a grounder that forced Cleveland shortstop Tyler Keenan to go deep in the hole to cut it off.
Keenan came up with the ball, spun on his knees and made a throw to first base that one-hopped over D.J. Witmer’s glove allowing Zach Bridges and Hunter Parker to score.
Two batters later, Joseph Johnson tripled down the right field line to plate two more runs.
“We expect to win,” said Parnell. “I’m excited that we won, I probably won’t go to sleep tonight, but I expected to win. That’s six in a row so we’re headed in the right direction at the right time and that just made things a little more interesting.”
Three to watch
Sauyer Roberts, South Johnston: The sophomore has had good outings for the Trojans this season, but perhaps none were more important that the complete game win he delivered Tuesday night. Roberts was in complete control striking out 10 batters, walking just two while scattering six hits.
“My catcher Zach Bridges is pretty good and he mixes it up well,” Roberts said. “I tried to hit my spots and just kept it simple.”
Joseph Johnson, South Johnston: Johnson is accustomed to getting the big hit when his team needs it and Tuesday night was no exception. The senior standout went 3-of-4 at the plate with a double, a triple and three RBIs, including his two-run three-bagger in the bottom of the sixth to give the Trojans the 5-2 lead.
Will Tetrault, Cleveland: Tetrault’s two-run single in the top of the fourth inning that scored Tyler Keenan and Chase Webster gave the Rams the 2-0 lead, an advantage that looked relatively safe until the bottom of the sixth inning.
They said it
“I told the kids that it’s not the end of the season and that we’ve still got a lot of baseball to play,” Cleveland coach Jamie Lee said. “It’s just one game and we need to keep the focus on the goal and on what the end result will be. We’ve just to keep the focus and move past this game and one bad inning.”
By the numbers
113: Pitches required for Sauyer Roberts to earn the complete game victory.
9: Runs allowed by Cleveland in the sixth inning the last two times the Rams have played at Bruce Coats Field. Cleveland allowed five runs in the same unlucky frame to Bunn earlier in the season during the Johnston County Easter Invitational.
6: Wins in a row for the peaking Trojans.
4: Errors committed by the Rams for the game.
Said Lee: “You just can’t make five errors and win ball games; it’s real simple.”
1: Earned run allowed by Ryan Flores.
This story was originally published April 20, 2016 at 1:09 AM with the headline "Big sixth inning helps South Johnston deal Cleveland Rams baseball first conference loss."