Sports

Baconton gets revenge

• The defending Region 1W-A champion Baconton Charter baseball team avenges its only conference loss this season to No. 1 Seminole County.

Derek Barichello

DONALSONVILLE— When Baconton entered Monday’s contest at Seminole County, it was one game behind the Indians for first place in Region 1W-A.

When the Blazers left town, it was all square — Baconton’s Tyler Neeld made sure of that.

In the top of the sixth inning in a 5-5 tie ball game, Neeld hit the first pitch he saw over the right field fence with a runner on base to give the Blazers a two-run lead. Then, Baconton starting pitcher Tyler Pinson — who was rocked in the Blazers’ first meeting this season against coach Truett Johnson’s Seminole team which resulted in Baconton’s only region loss — retired the final six batters up and down to secure the 7-5 win and set up a potential tie for first place in the sub region.

Seminole must now beat Calhoun County on Thursday to force a tiebreaker with Baconton for the region title. If the Indians lose, the Blazers will repeat as 1-WA champs.

“It felt really good to hit it,” Neeld said of his home run to right field, some 268 feet. “I knew it was gone as soon as it left the bat. When I rounded the bases, I thought ‘This could be the game-winning hit.’ ”

And it was, as the win for the Blazers, who are coached by Bubber Birdsong, avenged an 18-12 loss to Seminole County and gave the Indians their first region loss — and once again shaking up the sub-region.

“It turns it all around,”Birdsong said. “It means we haven’t decided anything yet, but to us that’s a huge shot in the arm.”

Not only was the win big in the region standings but it answered questions Birdsong had entering Monday.

One of them, most notably, was how ace pitcher Pinson would handle the start. Last time he pitched against the Indians — back on April 1 — he was tagged for seven runs early in the game and suffered the loss — his only one of the season.

Pinson answered Monday with a complete-game win and eight strikeouts.

“I was sitting in a different position this time,” Pinson said. “We were chasing them, so I knew I needed to come through for the team.”

Those same questions about confidence were answered by the rest of the Blazers who fought back from an early deficit.

Entering Monday night’s game, Birdsong hoped the intensity of what he called a must-win contest would bring back the confidence he felt the team lost in their earlier season defeat to the Indians.

His wish came true.

With a packed crowd on hand in Donalsonville on Monday bundled up in winter clothing and standing by barrel fires to stay warm in the unseasonably cold weather on every pitch, the Blazers fell behind, 4-2, after three innings, but bounced back in the top of the fifth with three runs to take a 5-4 lead to the delight of their fans.

“I thinking we play better in intense games,” Pinson said. “We needed this.”

An error on a Chance Tompkins’ single to left field is what opened up the inning, allowing a run to score on the play and giving the Blazers the momentum.

“I felt like we let them back into it with that one,” Seminole’s Johnson said. “We didn’t make some routine plays and we didn’t get the big hit. That was the story.”

If Seminole County is able to beat Calhoun County today, it will set up a

five-inning tiebreaker game April 24 to decide the region winner. The victor of that game will earn an automatic bid to the state playoffs.

And from here, that’s where Seminole County’s focus will turn to: Calhoun County.

“I told the guys before, we’re in control — (Baconton) needs to beat us twice to win it,” Johnson said. “They know if they don’t win (today), there is no chance of winning a sub-region.

“They’ll be ready.”

As for how Birdsong feltabout his team’s turnaround after the beating they took earlier this year against Seminole, the Baconton coach uttered just one word: "Unbelievable."

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