Barham
shook off a tough night on the mound and at the plate by delivering a
walk-off single with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, sending Salem
to an emotional, 4-3 victory over Lanier in Region 8-AAAAA play.
The
Seminoles loaded the bases in the ninth, which began with Ndiayemon
Harrison’s bloop single to center field. After a strike out, Jason
Howell drew a walk and Akil Baddoo bunted for a hit. David Paul induced a
force out at the plate when Yorel James bounced to second base, but
couldn’t get out No. 3 as Barham took an 0-1 pitch and hit a flare over
second, sending Howell home with the game-winner.
“We
had an opportunity and (Barham) took advantage of it,” said first-year
Salem coach Bobby Link. “It’s a team effort. The kids right now are
working their tails off, they really want to be successful. Everybody’s
contributing, everybody’s doing a job.”
Salem
had its first dramatic scoring rally in the seventh against reliever
Schulyer Pugh. Down to its last two outs, Harrison reached on a throwing
error by third baseman Anthony Valvo and two batters later, Howell
lifted a sacrifice fly to left field and the game was tied at 3-3.
Barham,
who in his first three trips to the plate struck out twice and popped
up to the catcher on a drag bunt attempt, sacrificed James to second
with one out in the bottom of the eighth. Paul walked Jordan Johnson,
but struck out Kelvin Walker and got Braxton Hogan to line out softly to
second to end that threat.
Salem’s
bullpen was fantastic in relief of Barham, who started and allowed
three earned runs and though he struck out six, also walked five in 3
2/3 innings. Harrison pitched 2 1/3 innings of scoreless relief, then
gave way to James in the seventh. The southpaw got a big caught stealing
of Cameron Coursey after the Lanier second baseman reached on a
felder’s choice with one out in the seventh, and he struck out the side
to work around Cole Dudley’s infield single with one out in the eighth.
Lanier didn’t get a runner to second base after the fourth inning.
Salem
took the first lead of the night in the bottom of the first. Harrison
singled to open the frame, was sacrificed to second and stole third.
Lanier starter Will Johnston struck out Barham for what should’ve been
the third out, but the pitch went to the backstop and Harrison raced
home to put the Seminoles up 1-0.
Johnston
also battled control problems at times as the left-hander walked four,
but didn’t allow an earned run in four innings of work.
Lanier
got all its runs in the third, despite Barham striking out the first
two batters of the inning. C.J. Wismer, Coursey and Valvo drew two-out
walks in consecutive plate appearances, and Wismer later scored on a
Barham wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1. Chandler Burrow followed by
lacing a two-run double up the alley in right-center field and the
Longhorns went up 3-1.
Dudley
singled to open the fourth and Lanier eventually loaded the bases on
walks to Riley Terry (Barham’s final batter of the night) and Wismer.
Harrison got Coursey to fly out harmlessly to left field to put an end
to the Sugar Hill school’s last threat of the game.
Salem
scratched together a single run in the fifth, thanks to a mental
mistake by Dudley at first. Harrison was hit by a pitch to start the
inning and moved to second on an errant pick off throw by Pugh. Howell
hit a ground ball to Dudley, who was indecisive about whether he wanted
to try and get Harrison, who had stopped about half way up the third
base line, or record the out at first. He got neither as Howell was safe
at first and Harrison scored to make it 3-2.
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