MONTEVALLO, Ala. – In what could be labeled the wildest baseball game of the year, Lee dropped a 16-12 contest to host University of Montevallo on Friday evening in the opener of a three-game GSC series. The two teams will continue action on Saturday with a doubleheader for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
The battle featured 30 hits (11 extra bases), 12 walks, four batters hit by pitches, 23 strikeouts and lasted 3 hours 50 minutes. It all came to an end when Evan Radford blasted a walk-off, grand-slam home run in the 10th inning to give the Falcons the victory. The Flames dropped to 11-8 in GSC play and 19-12 overall. Montevallo improved to 8-11, 15-18.
The Flames jumped out to an 8-1 lead in the top of the fifth inning, but the Falcons would not fly away. They scored five runs in their half of the frame and cut the margin to 8-6. Lee never trailed until the bottom of the seventh when Montevallo scored four runs and took a 10-9 lead.
The struggle continued with Lee moving on top 12-10 with three runs in the eighth inning and holding a 12-11 upper hand entering the bottom of the ninth. The Falcons made it an extra-inning affair by posting a single run and tying the contest at 12.
The Flames went down in order in the top of the 10th and Montevallo seized on the opportunity to win the opening game of the series. The Falcons opened the inning with a Lee error, loaded the bases and Radford ended the suspense by ripping the ball over the right-field wall.
Lee's first four batters produced seven of their 12 runs. Cody Turner drove in three with his seventh homerun. He also doubled and scored twice. Luke Collier got into the homerun act with his fifth four-bagger. He also added a two-base hit, batted in two runs and crossed the plate twice. Lee's homer leader Isaiah French added to his mark with his ninth. He led the Flames with three hits and tallied a pair of runs. Lead-off hitter Landon Franklin
pushed across another RBI.
Casen Youngblood joined French with three hits. The freshman had an RBI and crossed the plate twice. Aiden McClary celebrated his first homer of the year. He produced a pair of runs batted in and two runs scored. Braden Gabel got into the RBI act by knocking in a pair with his hit. All totaled, Lee had 13 hits but drew only three of the games 12 walks.
Radford's big game-winning blow was followed by Jake Fitzgerald, who had a double, two singles and collected two RBI. Three other Falcons had two-base hits in the win. They finished with a total of 17 hits with 12 singles, nine walks and three hit batters.
Lee used four pitchers. Evan Bloomer started and worked 4.2 innings. He allowed eight hits and six earned runs. Mason Bratcher followed for 1.2 frames and gave up three hits and two earned runs. For the first time this year, Turner ran into control problems. In one complete inning he allowed a hit, three earned runs and issued five free passes.
Tyler Pickens (3-1) was charged with the loss. In 2.2 innings, the big right-hander gave up five hits and only one earned run. He issued one free pass, hit two batters and recorded four strikeouts.
Montevallo used five pitchers in the win. Zach Wyatt was the starter and pitched five complete innings. He allowed 10 hits and eight earned runs, fanning six and walking one. Three other Falcon hurlers followed Wyatt to the mound before Mitchell Rhodes (2-0) came on to work the ninth inning and picked up the victory. He did not allow a run, walked one and struck out one.
Coach Mark Brew's thoughts:
"It was a crazy game that had a little of everything. We just couldn't minimize the big inning and didn't pitch well with the lead. I was proud of our fight, but it still stings to know you had chances to close them out and we couldn't get it done."
