Creekside scores five runs in the ninth inning to beat Packers
Feb. 23—MOULTRIE — Creekside scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to defeat Colquitt County 7-2 in a Georgia-Florida Classic game played Friday on Ike Aultman Field at Mack Tharpe Stadium.
The Packers, now 4-3, will be back at Packer Park at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday for a Classic meeting with St. John Neumann of Naples, Fla.
Neither the Packers nor their visitors from St. Johns, Fla., led by more than a run until the top of the ninth on Friday.
But two Packer errors and a double by Connor Balazic led to the five unearned Creekside runs.
The Packers managed just five hits, including a leadoff single by Jake Walker in the bottom of the ninth.
But a double play and a strikeout ended the night for the Packers.
The Knights had several opportunities to put the Packers away in the first seven innings, but waited until the ninth to secure the win.
Creekside scored in the top of the first on a delayed double steal and threatened in the fourth with a pair of two-out singles that Packers freshman starter Bowen DeRosso pitched around.
Colquitt got both of its runs in the fifth.
Packer catcher Hayden Hembree reached on a one-out error, but was erased when Bryce Roberts bounced into a fielder's choice.
Mason Moore then doubled to right to drive home Roberts and went to third on the throw to the plate.
Moore scored on a wild pitch to put the Packers up 2-1.
DeRosso got into immediate trouble in the top of the sixth when Ty Martineau reached on an infield single and Carson McFarlin was hit by a pitch.
Logan Plymel was summoned from the bullpen and got Michael Bysheim to bunt into a force out at third base.
Adam Harvey followed with a double to left that scored McFarlin to tie the game and sent Bysheim to third.
With Gavin Strump batting, Bysheim broke for the plate and was retired in a rundown.
Plymel then got Strump to fly out to end the inning, leaving Harvey stranded on third and the score tied 2-2.
The Knights also ran themselves out of a seventh-inning rally.
Parker Morton led off with a double to right, but was thrown out at third by Plymel when he attempted to move up on a bunt by Richard Kane.
Kane then attempted to steal second, but was thrown out by Hembree.
The Packers were retired in order in the bottom of the sixth and wasted a two-out single by Roberts in the seventh.
In the eighth, Cam Cook led off with a line drive single to left and moved to second on a Jaxon Chambers sacrifice.
But Bysheim, pitching in relief, issued an intentional walk to Adam Beverly, then struck out the next two batters.
The wheels came off in the ninth.
Plymel pitched 3.1 innings in relief of DeRosso and took the loss. He struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth.
Cole Holder got the final two outs in the top of the ninth.
In his first start, DeRosso went 5.1 innings, giving up two runs and five hits. He walked just one, hit two batters and struck out five.
Cook was 2-for-3 with a walk and Moore was 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI.
Roberts and Chambers added singles.
The bottom five hitters in the Packers lineup went a combined 0-for-16 with seven strikeouts.
