LaGRANGE, Ga. – It took an inning longer than Maryville would have liked but the Scots secured their 13th consecutive win with a 3-2 extra-inning thriller over LaGrange at Cleaveland Field.
MC's 13 straight wins marks the program's longest streak since at least 2012 and is the second longest active streak in Division III, behind only East Texas Baptist (16).
The Panthers (19-13, 5-8 CCS) tied the game in the bottom of the ninth after loading the bases with one out. Down 2-1, LaGrange capitalized on an error to make it 3-2 before Maryville (23-11, 11-1 CCS) stopper
Xavier Resto induced back-to-back flyouts to send the game to the 10th.
Resto picked up his team-high fourth win of the season, pitching 1 2/3 innings to close out the game. He allowed one hit and struck out one batter in the 10th.
Christian Carlton picked up the game-winning hit for Maryville, scoring
Ashton Whiteaker who kicked off the rally with a one-out double. He is riding a five-game hitting streak, batting .500 (8-for-16) during that stretch with a home run, a double, and four RBIs.
Mitchell Grannan got the start for the Scots, allowing just one run and one hit in seven innings pitched. The righty struck out three and walked three in his longest outing of the season. The Chattanooga native carried a no-hitter through 6 1/3 before Coy Phillips broke up the bid with a double in the seventh.
Maryville's two runs in regulation came in the fourth and the sixth innings. The first run was scored on a sacrifice fly from
Max Bowers that allowed
Daniel Montana to score. The Scots second run came on a big fly from
Zac Graham, his sixth home run of the season.
The third baseman now stands alone as the Scots leader in home runs, passing Whiteaker (5). He is tied with Covenant's Gilbert Zeke for second place in the CCS behind Belhaven's Owen Abney (8). Graham is coming off back-to-back Player of the Week honors and is off to a strong start in his campaign for a third. Across three games this week, he is 5-for-15 with a home run, three doubles, eight RBIs and three runs scored.
Maryville picked up 10 hits as a team for the third game in a row, and the 11th time during their 13-game winning streak. Whiteaker (3), Graham (2), and
Colin Dunworth (2) each recorded multi-hit performances for the Scots on Friday night.
Montana extended his on-base streak to 16 games against LaGrange, going 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk. The DH is batting .482 during that stretch, going 27-for-56.
Maryville pitchers have now held opposing teams to less than five hits in back-to-back outings, with Hanover recording three on Wednesday and the Panthers managing just four on Friday.
The Scots return to action Saturday looking to extend their streak to 14 with another victory over LaGrange at Cleaveland Field. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m.
