NTL BASEBALL: SAYRE RALLIES FROM FIVE-RUN DEFICIT IN 6TH INNING TO EDGE CV, 8-7, IN 8 INNINGS (24 PHOTOS) (2024-04-24)

Valley Sports Report
SAYRE — Senior Aidan Ennis slid home with the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning to cap a wild rally in Sayre’s 8-7 win over Cowanesque Valley in NTL Small School Division baseball action here on a cold and windy Wednesday afternoon at Riverfront Park.

“We started out extremely slow with their bats tonight, and hot with errors, which seems to be our going trend this year,” said Sayre coach Todd Green.

“Neither team had a clean game,” he added. “We just came out on top.”

The Redskins committed seven errors in the win, while the Indians committed five.

Cowanesque Valley turned an error into a first-inning run, and a 1-0 lead, then scored three more runs in the third  inning without the benefit of a hit — using a dropped third strike, a hit batsman, a walk, and two errors to take a 4-0 lead.

The Redskins got on the board in the bottom of the third inning, scoring a pair of unearned runs on a two-out, two-RBI single by sophomore Karter Green to close the gap to 4-2.

CV extended its lead to 5-2 in the top of the fourth on an RBI single by Adam Morgan, then tacked on another run on an error to take a 6-2 lead after 3 1/2 innings.

CV pushed its lead to 7-2 in the top of the sixth inning on an RBI single by Luke Swirly, but Sayre answered in the home half of the inning. Seniors Jon Apgar and Kaden Bennett stroked back-to-back one-out singles, with Apgar later scoring on an error to trim the deficit to 7-3.

Senior Tanner Green pitched out of a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the top of the seventh to give the Redskins the opportunity to rally.

Junior Nick Pellicano and freshman Shaine Strickland hit the first two pitches for singles to start the bottom of the seventh, and senior Will Crossett started the scoring with an RBI double that left runners on second and third.

Karter Green kept the rally rolling with a two-RBI single to left field to close the gap to 7-6.

With one out, Apgar tied the game at 7-7 with a line-drive RBI single up the middle, but the next Sayre batters were retired.

Tanner Green pitched around a one-out single in the top of the eighth to set the stage for the winning rally.

Ennis was hit by a 3-2 pitch to start the inning, and Pellicano worked a walk to move him to second base.

With two outs, the runners advanced to second and third on a passed ball. Five pitches later, Ennis raced home on another passed, and slid under the tag at the plate with the winning run.

Karter Green stroked two singles, scored one run, and had four RBI, and Apgar had two hits and one RBI to lead Sayre’s nine-hit attack, while Crossett doubled, scored two runs, and drove in one run, and Strickland singled and scored two runs.

Pellicano and Tanner Green each singled and scored one run in the win, while Bennett added a single, and Ennis scored one run.

Crossett started for Sayre, allowing four runs — all unearned — on two hits and two walks, while striking out six in 2 2/3 innings.

Karter Green relieved and allowed three runs — two earned — on four hits, while striking out four and walking none in three innings.

Tanner Green earned the win with 2 1/3 innings of one-hit relief. He struck out two and walked one.

Sayre, now 4-5, returns to action Friday when it hosts Williamson.

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IN PHOTO 1: Sayre’s Aiden Ennis slides home safely with the winning run as Karter Green watches on. … PHOTOS BY BRANDON CLAYPOOL