BYNG — The latest installment of Ada versus Byng High School baseball turned out to be good to the last pitch.
Trailing by a single run, Ada had the bases loaded with one out at the top of the seventh inning. However, Byng junior relief pitcher Kendon Wood came in and struck out two of the four batters he faced to preserve a tense 6-5 victory for the Pirates Thursday night at Stokes Field.
Coach Shawn Streater’s club improved to 14-8 overall and 7-6 in District 4A-1 play, while the Cougars dropped to 15-15 and 5-8. The Pirates were in fourth place in the 4A-1 standings heading into Friday’s rematch with Ada at Cougar Field. Ada had dropped to the sixth spot behind McLoud, who is 7-7 in district play.
Byng 6, Ada 5
Ada trailed 6-3 heading into the final inning. The Cougars’ late uprising was started when Elvis Edwards reached first base on an error. Keith Cook followed with a run-scoring double that trimmed the BHS advantage to 6-4.
Cade Stick was then hit by a pitch and Brock Boyles followed with a walk that left the bases loaded with Cougars.
That brought Wood to the bump and he promptly recorded a strikeout.
Ada’s Reid Samson then hit a ball deep into the hole between shortstop and third base for an infield hit that allowed Cook to score and get the Cougars within a single run at 6-5.
However, Wood cashed in on the save opportunity by coaxing a popup for the second out before getting a third strike called to end the contest.
Byng had erupted for five runs at the bottom of the third inning to build a 5-1 lead, before pushing across a single run in the fifth without the aid of a base hit that turned out to be the game-winner.
Ezekiel Griffin led that inning off with a walk, went to second on a passed ball, hustled to third on a groundout by Mason Carter and scored when junior Ryan Shelton executed a perfect squeeze bunt down the third-base line.
The Cougars out-hit Byng 11-6 but stranded 10 base runners in the contest.
Cook had the hot bat for Ada, going 4-for-4 with two doubles and two runs scored. Samson went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Boyles ended up 1-for-3 with a walk and two RBIs.
Kyler Gaddis hit a double and knocked in a run and JD Dugan went 1-for-4 with a triple and two runs scored for the visitors.
Cooper McCage had half of Byng’s hit, going 3-for-4 with a run scored. Byng didn’t have an extra-base hit in the game.
Shelton finished 1-for-2 with three RBIs and Bo Boatwright had a hit, drove in a run and scored a run for the home team.
McCage was the winning pitcher for the Pirates. He struck out eight, walked one and allowed three earned runs in six solid innings of work.
Chalin Robertson got the start for Ada. He struck out one, walked one and allowed three earned runs in four innings. Boyles tossed the final two frames and had two strikeouts, one walk and allowed just one hit and one unearned run.
