UNION MILLS -ÊA high school baseball game could not be any closer.

The score was tied at 5-all in the bottom of the seventh. Bases juiced. Two outs. Full count.

The final pitch of the game was a ball that sent the winning run across the plate.

Unfortunately for the Triton Trojans, that winning run belonged to the Tri-Country Cavaliers in the first game of the South Central Regional Saturday morning.

Tri-County was up 3-1 until the top of the seventh inning, when the Trojans made an exciting comeback. Joey Potter started the inning with a double and Tyson Blackford walked to put the tying run on first.

A passed ball put the runners on second and third as Jake Burnett stepped to the plate. Burnett hit a single that sent both of his teammates across the plate and tied the score at 3.

A ground ball by Kenny Miller moved Burnett to second, and Ryan Klotz hit a single to send him home for the go-ahead run.

An error by the first baseman allowed Klotz to score and put the Trojans up 5-3. In all, Triton scored four runs on three hits and two errors and left two men on base in the top of the inning.

"I'm very proud of the way our guys fought back in the top of the seventh," said Triton coach Jim Shively. "They could have very easily given up and gone home. But they worked hard and scored four runs to take the lead."

However, the the game was not over. Tri-County had one more chance to make a move and advance to the final game of the regional.

After Tri-County's first batter, Rudy Taulman, walked, Travis Anderson popped up to left field for the first out. An error allowed Paul Fulkerson to reach first, and a short pop fly by Michael Stitz was caught for the second out of the inning. Michael Luck stepped to the plate and hit a single to send Taulman across the plate and make the score 5-4.

Then Joey Barton stepped to the plate and hit a blooping single to short right field. Kenny Miller fielded the ball cleanly and hurled the ball Jake Burnett at home plate where he was waiting to tag the runner coming home. However, the umpire said Fulkerson slid under the tag and the score was tied at 5-all.

"From our angle it looked like Burnett got him," said Shively. "It was a good slide, and the umpire thought the tag missed, and his call is the final word."

With two outs and runners on first and second, Shively had reliever Tyler Hensley intentionally walk Jacob Ramsey to load the bases and give a force-out opportunity at every base. Travis Hensler stepped to the plate, stayed in the box until there was a full count and walked to sent Luck across the plate for the winning run.

"It's a tough way to lose," said Shively. "But I did what anybody would do. I think every coach would play it that way. Tyler has done the job all year. This is the first time he ha not gotten a save. Unfortunately the walk cost the game. Given the same situation, I would do it every time.

"This is just a tough way to lose, a tough way for the seniors to go down."

SOUTH CENTRAL REGIONAL

TRI-COUNTY 6, TRITON 5

Triton 000 100 4 - 5 6 2

Tri-County 003 000 3 - 6 5 4

Triton ab r h rbi

K. Miller rf 3 0 0 0

Holbrook ph 1 0 0 0

Watkins 2b 0 0 0 0

Klotz c 4 2 1 1

Setser lf 4 0 0 1

Clauss p 3 0 2 0

Hensley 2b 4 0 0 0

E. Miller 1b 4 0 0 1

Potter 3b 3 1 1 0

Grubbs dh 2 0 0 0

Blackford cf 0 1 0 0

Burnett ss 3 1 2 2

Totals 31 5 6 5

Tri-County ab r h rbi

Anderson rf 4 1 1 1

Fulkerson lf 3 2 1 0

Stitz p 2 0 0 0

Luck ss 3 1 1 1

Barton c 4 0 2 2

Ramsey 1b 3 0 0 0

Hensler cf 3 0 0 1

Berger dh 3 1 0 0

Seward 3b 0 0 0 0

Taulman 2b 2 1 0 0

Totals 27 6 5 5

LOB -ÊTriton 9, Tri-County 7. E -ÊBurnett, Clauss, Luck, Ramsey, Seward, Taulman. 2B -ÊClauss, Potter, Anderson. SB -ÊKlotz, Setser, Burnett.

Triton ip r er h bb k

Clauss, L 6 2/3 6 3 5 6 6

Hensley 0 0 0 1 3 0

Tri-County ip r er h bb k

Stitz, W 7 5 2 6 2 11

Two outs when winning run scored.

WP -ÊClauss. PB -ÊKlotz, Barton. [[In-content Ad]]