Vacant from the Hawks' starting lineup, Lee McMahon was an unlikely hero as his team took on the Dynasty in 12U Douglas County Amateur Baseball Assn. action at 4-H Cowser Field on Wednesday.
But the fate of the game was in McMahon's hands when he came to the plate in the bottom of the fifth. With teammate Brett Van Blaricum on base, McMahon singled to left field to drive in Van Blaricum and put the Hawks on top 8-7.
Time soon ran out and the yo-yo match ended in the Hawks' favor, 8-7.
"Momentum was a big thing tonight," Hawks coach Jim Taylor said. "Our kids started getting timing on their first pitcher and they just kept pecking away the whole time."
In the first inning, it became apparent that every play could ultimately decide which team would come out on top.
With one out in the top of the first, the Dynasty threatened with a runner on second base. The Hawks kept their cool, though, as Van Blaricum fielded a grounder at third base and threw the batter out at first. First baseman Logan Bannister returned the throw to Van Blaricum to tag out the Dynasty runner trying to advance from second to third on the play.
Hawks pitcher Sam Hearnen heaves the ball toward home plate Wednesday at 4-H Cowser Field in a 12U game against the Dynasty. The Hawks made a comeback to take a one-point victory.
The Hawks used the momentum from the top of the inning to score one run in their half of the inning on a single by Miles Stevens that drove in Chase Taylor.
The Dynasty didn't let the lead last long. With Bryce Page on third, Caleb Gaylord grounded out to second base, allowing Page enough time to score the tying run.
The bottom of the second inning featured a two-out rally by the Hawks that would put them up 3-1. The first run came on a double by Adam Rea that scored Bannister. Rea wasn't on second base long as he stole third base and scored on a single by the next batter, Austin Abbott.
The Dynasty exploded for five runs in the third inning to take the lead. Disciplined hitting and bold base running were key to the Dynasty's comeback. The Dynasty earned five walks in the inning and both Daniel Vineyard and Daniel Clausing stole home. The Dynasty's final run of the inning came on a Gaylord single that scored Page.
Hawks players Dane McCullough and Bannister said they got a little worried when the Dynasty took the three-run lead.
The Hawks kept the game from getting out of hand with two runs of their own in the bottom half of the third, but still trailed 6-5. The first of the two came when the Hawks turned a negative play into a positive one. Stevens struck out with Taylor on second, but the Dynasty catcher dropped the third strike, forcing him to throw Stevens out at first. Taylor then took off for third and wound up scoring on an overthrow.
The fourth inning was a quiet one offensively for both teams. Hawks pitcher McCullough brushed off a leadoff walk to strike out the next three Dynasty batters. The Hawks managed to tie the game in their half of the inning on a Taylor single that plated Chris Heller.
The Dynasty made their bid for the victory in the fifth when Page scored once again this time on a double by Dayton Valentine.
The Hawks wouldn't trail for long. McCullough led off the bottom of the fifth by reaching first on an overthrow. After stealing second, McCullough tied the game on a double by, Van Blaricum. Two batters later, McMahon drove in Van Blaricum for the game-winning run.
"We all gave it a really good shot and can't be ashamed of that," Dynasty coach Tyler Staples said. "We're proud of them."
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