Comeback Kids: Sheldon stuns Dadeville with 7th-inning rally

Wednesday, March 22, 2017
Sheldon starting pitcher Jason Leavell, delivers during the Panthers' season opening non- conference victory Tuesday evening against the Dadeville Bearcats. (Photo by Matt Resnick/Daily Mail)

The Sheldon Panthers opened their 2017 baseball season in epic fashion Tuesday evening, plating the winning run on a Zavey Lamb two run single in the bottom of the seventh to cap a come-from-behind 9-8 victory over the visiting Dadeville Bearcats.

The victory also delivered a measure of payback for the Panthers' 2016 season opener, a 17-0 Dadeville beat down. In addition, Sheldon is already halfway to last season's win total, as they finished 2-10 overall.

"We have a better team all-around this year," said an elated Matt Beatty, Sheldon's second-year head coach. "The two games we won last year were both against Hume, and they don't have enough players for a team this year. They only have 12 boys in the entire high school."

Trailing 2-0 Sheldon senior Kaleb Martin led off the bottom of the first with a double, and later came around to score courtesy of a Skylor Horton balk.

The Bearcats answered back in the second inning, scoring three runs to increase its lead to 5-1.

Over the next two innings Sheldon starting pitcher Jason Leavell settled into a groove, allowing one run as Dadeville led 6-1.

Leavell, a powerful right-handed hitter led off the bottom of the fourth with a sharply hit single to center field. With one out Japanese foreign-exchange student Koichi Tamaki reached on an infield single, advancing Leavell into scoring position.

With two outs in the inning and the bases loaded, Dadeville catcher Jarrett Sappington attempted to pick off Leavell at third base, but instead had his throw sail into left field allowing Leavell and Tamaki to score as Sheldon trailed 6-3.

Facing Dadeville relief pitcher Will Toler in the bottom of the fifth, Martin led off the frame with his second double of the contest. Toler then issued a walk to Brett O' Connor.

The game suddenly changed with one swing of the bat as Leavell launched a Toler letter-high fastball over the left field fence, tying the contest 6-6.

"The pitch was inside and kind of high where I like it," Leavell said of his 3-run blast. "I was just hoping I could turn on it. (Toler) was throwing his pitches a little higher (in the zone) and a little slower than (Horton)."

In a dramatic sequence of events in the bottom of the sixth, Leavell nearly had his second round-tripper off Toler, instead settling for a double. For the Panthers, however, O'Connor was gunned down at the plate to end the inning.

Dadeville led 8-6 after tacking on two runs in the seventh off O'Connor, who entered the game in relief in the sixth.

Sheldon's Clayton Loyd. (Photo by Matt Resnick/Daily Mail)

Sheldon catcher Clayton Loyd led off the bottom of the seventh with a single to right field off Dadeville closer Marcus Keathley. With one out and the bases loaded, Bryce Lamb trimmed Dadeville's lead to 8-7 with an RBI-single to right field. Zavery Lamb followed with the walk-off single into right-center field, scoring Tamaki and Evan Brock.

"After losing to them 17-0 last season, we wanted this win bad," Leavell said.

Sheldon Panthers' assistant baseball coach Mike Galimberto goes over base-running strategy wth Koichi Tamaki. (Photo by Matt Resnick/Daily Mail)
Comments
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: