Booneville, Miss. – The nationally ranked Northeast Mississippi Community College baseball team had a flare for the dramatic on Sunday afternoon.
The Tigers claimed a pair of games at Harold T. White Field over Lake Land (Ill.) College by scores of 11-10 and 15-14 for their first sweep of the 2014 season. No. 20 Northeast ended both matchups with runs in its final at bat.
"It was two much needed wins," said Tigers headman Kent Farris. "I was real proud of the guys for the way they fought back. We improved in a lot of areas, but it's still a work in progress."
Lake Land pushed across runs in each of the initial four innings of game two. The Lakers took a quick 2-0 lead on back-to-back RBI hits by Darren Saunders and Grant Garrett.
Ben Foster led the Tigers in their response with a double in the left field gap that plated Heath Wood and Jack Hurdle. Hurdle had a RBI single earlier in the frame to lift Northeast ahead 3-2.
The Lakers, though, would score the next 11 runs of the contest over a period of three innings to take a seemingly comfortable advantage.
Aaron Bence started the spurt with a two-run homer over the left field fence in the second. Tyler Bushue followed with a 2 RBI single one frame later.
Matt Walsh and Bence knocked two straight RBI hits as part of a five-run fourth inning by Lake Land (1-9).
By the time Tiger catcher Blake Harwell caught Bushue attempting to steal third base to end the fourth, the Lakers were closing in on a run-rule shortened triumph with a 13-3 lead.
But back came Northeast with a huge two out rally in the bottom half. Wood got things started with an opposite field single that scored Scott Pala.
Cody Bo Dillard brought home Jordan Montgomery and Wood with a liner to right field. The combination of Hurdle, Foster and Harwell then put together three hits in a row to cut the Tigers' deficit to 13-9.
Courtesy runner Drew Wray capped the frame by touching home on a Luke Stanley RBI single. Overall, the Tigers sent 13 men to the plate and scored eight runs on seven hits, two walks and an error to make it 13-11 in favor of Lake Land.
Evan Hickman (1-0) entered from the bullpen to begin the fifth and did a wonderful job in relief. He pitched the final three innings and gave up just one run on four hits with two strikeouts.
"I knew I was going to go in the game, and we started hitting the ball and getting closer," said Hickman. "When I get on the mound, I'm all in the game. Once I get the opportunity, I'm ready to go."
Northeast knotted the score at 13-13 in the sixth. Foster doubled to lead off the frame and Harwell followed him with a walk.
Pala then laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Foster and Wray, who was again courtesy running, into scoring position. The duo then rounded the bags on Stanley's second hit in as many plate appearances.
Hickman's lone mistake of the evening gave the Lakers the lead once again in the seventh when Alonso Ruz was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in a run.
Northeast, though, had Hickman's back and claimed the victory without getting a base hit in the bottom half. Harwell and Pala both walked with the bases full of Tigers to score the tying and winning runs.
Ruz (0-1) was the loser in relief for Lake Land after walking four and allowing two hits.
The Tigers (3-5) also had a walkoff finish to the opening game of the day when Wray's single landed safely in left field to allow the go ahead run to cross home plate.
"A bunch of my teammates had gotten on and coach (Richy Harrelson) came up to me before my bat and said to just look for the first-pitch fast ball and try to elevate it and score the run," said Wray. "We've still got some improving to do, but two wins always makes you feel better about everything."
Tyler Cox (1-1) hurled the last 2.2 innings for Northeast to get the victory. The University of Kentucky transfer stuck out five and allowed only one earned run in that span.
Wood helped the Tigers jump in front 10-4 with three base knocks, one of those a double, and a RBI. Riley Alef, Dillard and Wray also had multiple hits in the lid lifter.
Lake Land evened the matchup with a five-spot in the fifth and a solo run two frames later before Wray's heroics erased the Lakers' come-from-behind efforts.
"We could have hung our heads and just gone to the house, especially after the bad day we had last Friday," Farris said. "I was really proud of the way they fought all day long."
Wood, a Kossuth High School product, had five hits on the afternoon and increased his batting average to .520, the fifth best among athletes in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges (MACJC).
Stanley had 4 RBIs in the doubleheader to tie Wood for team-high in that category with six. Mongtomery and Peterson combined to go 3 for 4 with three runs scored off the bench in the nightcap.
Northeast begins a stretch of 10 straight road contests this Thursday, February 27 when they visit Victory (Tenn.) University to play their junior varsity team. First pitch for game one at Gagliano Field is scheduled for 1 p.m.