Commodores pull out 12-inning win in Game 1 of 5A finals
PEARL – What Lafayette’s baseball team lacks in star power, it makes up for in myriad other ways.
Witness Wednesday night’s marathon against Vancleave in Game 1 of the MHSAA Class 5A finals at Trustmark Park. The Commodores had to play catch-up for several innings, finally got the lead, then blew it in the seventh, only to ultimately come away with an 8-7 win in 12 innings.
Game 2 is set for 7 p.m. Friday.
“There are some really good baseball players in that clubhouse – I mean some really, really good baseball players,” Lafayette head coach John Walker said. “You’re not going to see them on any PBR list, you’re not going to see them on any Perfect Game list, but there’s a bunch of college baseball players in our clubhouse.”
There were certainly several heroes in this win, including senior Balin Bishop. His RBI single in the top of the 12th broke a 7-7 stalemate and proved to be the winning hit.
Reliever Brody Breithaupt worked around a two-out single and retired the Bulldogs (27-8) to clinch the win.
“We’re going to find a way to win a game, no matter what,” Bishop said. “It may not be star D-I players all over the place, but I’m telling you, we’re going to find a way to score runs, and it doesn’t matter how we get them, we’re going to score them.”
Lafayette (27-7) scored four runs in the sixth to take a 7-4 lead. Vancleave erased that deficit in the seventh with the aid of two walks and an error.
The game then turned into a pitchers duel. Hunter Parker took the mound for Vancleave in the eighth and stymied Lafayette’s bats until the 12th.
For Lafayette, senior Jack Wyatt East tossed three scoreless frames of relief, and then Breithaupt worked the final two to earn the victory. Walker said Breithaupt, a senior, is someone whose innings have been limited this season due to command issues. He had no such issues Wednesday night.
“He had really, really good stuff, the arm obviously looked very fresh, and the slider was really good,” Walker said.
Lafayette finished the game with 10 hits, including three by Bishop. Vancleave had 11 hits.
The Bulldogs staked a 2-0 lead in the second inning, and Lafayette responded with two runs in the third. The teams continued to trade runs, with the Commodores tying it 4-4 in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk of senior Aleck Farmer. Senior Houston Morgan’s sac fly gave Lafayette its first lead of the night, and then Bishop had a two-run single for a 7-4 advantage.
Extra Bases
Big Inning: Senior Foster Crockett was hit by a pitch to lead off the 12th. He moved to second on a sac bunt and then scored on Bishop’s single.
Big Stat: Four Lafayette pitchers combined for 12 strikeouts.
Coach Speak: “They’re just really tough, and they really love each other, and that makes a difference.” – Walker, on his players
