LIVINGSTON, Alabama – In a contest that was shortened to seven innings because of lighting malfunction on Saturday afternoon at the University of West Alabama Tartt Field, the Lee baseball team rallied from a three-run deficit in the first inning to battle back and post a 6-3 victory.
The No. 2-ranked Flames (26-4, 21-3 GSC) will return to action on Sunday and face the Tigers (11-15, 9-14) in a doubleheader slated for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
"West Alabama has a solid club and has some quality arms ready to throw tomorrow. It'll be another tough day at the ballpark, but our guys will be ready to go," allowed Lee head coach Mark Brew.
Coach Brew reached the 600-win milestone with the victory on Saturday. The veteran head coach is in his 15th season as skipper of the Flames and has complied a record of 600-233-2, winning at a .718 clip.
Freshman Riley Black enjoyed his best day of the season at the plate for the Flames. After Lee fell behind 3-0 in the first inning, the Flames cut the lead to 3-1 in the third inning. Justen Freeman doubled on a two-out situation and scored on Alan Smith's single.
The Flames took the lead for good in the fourth inning. Dylan Standifer singled and Landon Silver put down a perfectly executed bunt single. Black drilled a long three-run homer over the right centerfield fence, putting the Flames up 4-3. Black collected his fourth RBI of the game in the sixth inning when his triple scored Silver who had opened the inning with a double. Nate Bynum singled home Black to give Lee its final 6-3 total.
The Flames finished the seven-inning affair with 11 hits. Freeman, Ryan Beamish, Silver and Black had two hits apiece. The Tigers scored their three runs in the bottom of the first inning before Logan Workman closed the door. Workman improved to 5-0 on the year and allowed just four hits over seven innings. He fanned nine and walked two.
Jake Nemith doubled in the first inning and went to third on a wild pitch. He scored on a sacrifice fly by Gavin Rogers. Brayden Lyman walked and scored when Taylor Clemmons blasted a homer over the left centerfield fence. Peyton Warren was the losing Tiger pitcher. In 6.2 innings, he allowed 11 hits and six earned runs.
"I was proud of the teams fight today. We got down early, but Workman locked in and put up zeros the rest of the way. Our hitters kept scratching and clawing until we got the big three-run homer from Riley. We also did a good job extending the lead with some big two-out hits in the later innings," explained Coach Brew.
