Dragons rally late to beat Blue Devils

Published 1:16 am Thursday, April 18, 2024

By JIM WALKER

jim.walker@irontontribune.com

PROCTORVILLE — Things went up and down for the Fairland Dragons. Fortunately, they went up one more time.

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Fairland took the lead, fell behind, tied the score and then went ahead for good in a 8-5 win over the Gallipolis Blue Devils on Wednesday in an Ohio Valley Conference game.

Fairland (4-8, 3-1) took a 3-0 lead in the second inning.

Ethan Wall, Ben Southard and Carson Sansom all singled for a run and a throwing error scored the second run. Keegan Smith then singled home the third run of the inning.

Gallipolis (5-5, 2-4) got all 5 of its runs in the fourth inning to take a brief 5-3 lead.

Cole Hines doubled and scored when Tyler Young reached on an error. Ian Conley and Matthew Foster walked and Beckett Camden singled home 2 runs. Nathan Shockey walked and Matt Liberati singled him 2 more runs.

Fairland answered with 2 runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game.

With one out, Southard walked, Sansom reached on a missed third strike and Luke Brown singled home 2 runs.

The Dragons scored a run in the fifth to take the lead for good.

Alex Morgan walked, stole second and third and scored on Garrett Cornwell’s ground out.

Fairland added 2 insurance runs in the sixth.

Sansom walked, Brown singled, Smith hit into a force play and Blaze Perry and Morgan both walked for a run. Wall was hit by a pitch forced in another run.

Morgan was the winning pitcher as he was the second of 3 pitchers for the Dragons. Morgan went 2 innings, gave up one hit, no runs with one strikeout and one walk.

Hunt was 2-4 and Brown 2-3 with 2 RBI to lead the Dragons. Wall was 1-3 with an RBI, Sansom 1-2 with an RBI, Smith 1-3 with an RBI and Southard 1-2.

Gallipolis 000 500 0 = 5 6 1

Fairland   030 212 x = 8 8 1

Tyler Young, 36 (6) and Cole Hines. Blaze Perry, Alex Morgan (4), Brycen Hunt (6) and Cyrus Cummings. W-Morgan (IP-2.0, H-1, R-0, K-1, BB-1). Perry (IP-3.0 H-4, R-5, ER-4, K-3, BB-3). Hunt (IP-2.0, H-1, R-0, K-5, BB-3). L-Young IP-5.0, H-8, R-7, ER-5, K-4, BB-4, HBP-1). 36 (IP-1.-, H-0, R-1, ER-1, K-1, BB-1). Hitting-Gallipolis: Cole Hines 1-4 2B, Tyler Young 1-3 RBI, Beckett Camden 3-4 RBI, Matt Liverati 1-2 2-RBI; Fairland: Brycen Hunt 2-4, Ethan Wall 1-3 RBI, Garrett Cornwell RBI, Ben Southard 1-2, Carson Sansom 1-2 RBI, Luke Brown 2-3 2-RBI, Keegan Smith 1-3 RBI.