Box Score Maryville Wins 8-7 in Extra Innings
MARYVILLE – Now that is how you bounce back!
Maryville picked up an 8-7 win over Berry, who received votes in the Collegiate Baseball Division III Preseason Poll, after a fierce comeback over the final three innings of the 10 inning bout.
"It was a great game," said Scots' head coach Clint Helton. "The biggest thing is that, while we got down early, we didn't quit. We hung in there as a team. This was a team win. It has been a point of emphasis for us to stop doing things for ourselves and to do them for the team."
At the end of the third inning, each team sat with three runs. Maryville picked up one run in each of the first three frames, while the Vikings put up three in the top of the third.
Berry went on to score four more runs over the fourth and fifth innings, while Maryville scored none in the fourth through seventh innings. Pitching helped the Scots stay in the game with Tommy Musuras allowing no runs or hits in his three innings on the mound for MC.
"Musuras came in and had three scoreless innings from the sixth to the eighth, which was big for us," said Helton. "If Tommy doesn't perform like he does in that spot then we don't hang in the game and have the opportunity to score the runs we do."
Damian Lusby earned the win for the home team with a two-inning showing that netted no runs, three strikeouts, and just one hit. It is his first victory of the season.
The bottom of the eighth is when Maryville began to chip into the 7-3 deficit. Christian Carlton was hit by a pitch to start the frame, moved to second thanks to a Zac Graham single, and then scored on a Kasey Ross single. Following a pitching change and ground out into a double play, a Jimmy Meredith single brought Graham home. The final run of the inning was scored courtesy of a Gabe Lopez single.
A run scored for the Scots in the bottom of the ninth by Carter Crow tied the contest at 7-7. The four unanswered runs forced a 10th inning at Scotland Yard that did not disappoint.
The Vikings faced two outs after their first two batters in the extra frame. The next Berry batter was hit by a pitch, but the runner meant nothing as the next Viking grounded out to third.
Peyton Milam led off for Maryville in what became the final inning and singled to right field. Meredith reached first on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat when the pitcher threw to second on the sacrifice bunt and Matthew Petzelt, who was pinch-running, beat out the throw. The winning run came on a sacrifice bunt from Zach Fritts that Berry's pitcher misplayed. The Viking pitcher threw the ball well past first and the error sent Petzelt streaking home to score the winning run.
Graham led the Scots with a 3-for-4 showing at the plate with a run scored and two RBI. Meredith and Lopez were next with each batter going 2-for-4 on the evening. Lopez had two RBI and hit a solo home run in the second.
The Scots are now 7-4 on the season while Berry falls to 9-5.
"Berry is a good team every year," said Helton. "Beating them shows us where we are right now. If we pitch well and swing the bats well then we can hang in with a team like that. We are not that far apart."
