Williamston scores five in the seventh, comes back to beat Okemos in Diamond Classic
Trailing 4-0 after two innings, the Williamston baseball team knew it needed to dig deep if it wanted to hang around longer in the 62nd annual Dean Shippey Diamond Classic.
Williamston could justify being slightly disrespected, having had to beat Portland Monday just to get into the quarterfinals, where it matched up with one of the area's top teams in Okemos.
Senior catcher Carter Gulick gave the Hornets a spark, sending a two-run shot over the elevated right field wall at McLane Stadium. It was the first home run in Diamond Classic history that left the ballpark at McLane.
"I was sitting fastball, and I got a middle-middle fastball and I was able to take advantage of it," Gulick said. "It was pretty exciting, playing on a high school field I would have known it was gone but here I wasn't sure. I was pretty hyped once I saw it get over the wall."
Williamston would add another run on a passed ball in the sixth inning, while the pitching staff kept a dangerous Okemos lineup off the scoreboard.
Then came the seventh, where after a leadoff walk, Okemos would bring in star shortstop Caleb Bonemer to pitch the final inning. But, Williamston refused to back down, and after tying the game and loading the bases, Williamston senior Aiden Friess hit a bases-clearing triple to right field, putting the Hornets up for good.
"That was crazy, holy cow, and it took everyone with timely hits and after the first couple innings my teammates just picked me up and I couldn't ask for anything better," Friess said. "I went 0-for-3 up to that point, and all I could do was try to put it in play. It was electric and my heart is still pounding. One of my best moments here at Williamston for sure."
Okemos added two runs in the seventh, but Williamston did enough damage in the top half of the frame to survive with an 8-6 win, earning a spot in Wednesday's Diamond Classic semifinals.
Friess, along with senior pitcher Richard Cuzydlo and junior Brayden Johnson, were instrumental in the third through sixth innings, keeping Okemos off the scoreboard and giving the lineup a chance to chip away at the Wolves' lead.
"(Okemos) is a really good offensive team, and they were able to get some early, but I thought our guys were mixing well and hitting spots well," Williamston coach Ryan Orr said. "We didn't want anyone seeing the lineup twice, so we knew it was going to take a full pitching staff effort and our guys were ready for the moment today."
Williamston (22-3) will face Grand Ledge (16-14) in Wednesday's Diamond Classic semifinal. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. at McLane Stadium.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on Twitter @Nathaniel_Bott
This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: Big seventh inning leads Williamston over Okemos in Diamond Classic
