MACON, Ga. — It wasn’t looking good for the Bacon.
The team was down 6-1 against Catawba Valley at the bottom of the seventh inning.
It looked grim, and yet everything began to come together.
Shortstop Sherman Johnson reared back and hit a key triple to set up himself up with a go-ahead steal after a wild pitch.
Still, Macon remained down by four runs. They’d closed the gap just a bit after a Lenny Montesano base hit brought in a run, but a three run deficit remained.
That was until the very end, when Macon surged in the bottom of the ninth. Bacon players began to flood the bases, but Stars pitcher Micha Hill notched two outs.
While the game looked grim, multiple key hits brought the game within striking distance. After one run scored, another base hit from Montesano — which snuck just by the shortstop — brought in two more runs.
Montesano’s game leading three RBI’s led either team and was key for the Bacon tying up the game. However, his one hit advanced the winning run to second base, which proved crucial for what happened next.
With the game on the line, Yadiel Perez stepped up and hit a ball in another gap between the shortstop and third base for another base hit. Thanks to an error at the plate, Macon grabbed the final run and a win over the out-of-conference Stars.
While starting pitcher Thomas Greeson struggled in his three innings on the mound — he allowed a game-high seven hits alongside four runs — reliever Payton Adkisson was clutch for the Bacon down the stretch.
The Valdosta State pitcher pitched 2.2 innings, allowed only one hit and struck out five batters. His efforts kept Catawba Valley scoreless for two straight innings, which helped Macon’s offensive surge have an impact and earned him his first win with the Bacon.
The Stars’ starter Elian Cuevas had a strong performance. He only allowed one run during his five innings on the mound and totaled a game high nine strikeouts. Yet, Cuevas’ relievers did him no favors, as Hill earned a loss after allowing four runs in one inning.
After this win, Macon holds a 2-0 undefeated record against Catawba Valley. While it doesn’t impact the region, the Stars have struggled to overcome the Bacon. They’ll get one final chance to avoid a sweep, when they return to Macon on Saturday, July 13 for a Christmas in July themed game.
The Bacon were split up this week with part of the team remaining home, while the others traveled out to the Carolinas. The conference matchup against the Lexington County Blowfish ended in a brutal 11-10 loss.
Despite four different players with RBI's and two — catcher David Stokely and outfielder CJ Dean — having three RBI's, the team couldn't keep the Blowfish off the board. Lexington County walked off the game in the bottom of the night, forcing the Bacon to be on both sides of a ninth inning walk off at the same time.
Macon will finish its Carolina excursion on Sunday when they take on the ZooKeepers in Asheville, North Carolina before returning home to Macon on Tuesday.