The Black Hills baseball team took a late lead against W.F. West on Wednesday, but the Bearcats put up five runs in the seventh to pull off an 8-4 comeback victory.
“It looked like we were excited to play a baseball game,” W.F. West coach Jesse Elam said of the final frame. “That’s the way we have to play. We were more selective (at the plate).”
It was 3-2 Bearcats heading into the sixth, but a pair of RBI singles from Brody Rice and Blain Thomas gave the Wolves a 4-3 lead.
A single and a sacrifice bunt to start the seventh put the tying run on second, and Tucker Land promptly hit a grounder through the left side to tie the game.
That only kickstarted what ended up being a big inning. Deacon Meller drew a bases-loaded walk to force home the go-ahead run, Ross Kelley executed a squeeze bunt to bring home another, and Weston Potter hit a two-run double to make it 8-4.
Potter finished with two doubles, while Ross Kelley finished 1 for 3 with three RBIs, including a two-run home run in the first. Meller finished 1 for 2 with an RBI, and he scored twice.
Miles Martin pitched the first five and a third, allowing six hits and four runs, before Emmett Goodman recorded the final two outs of the sixth. Cole Ozretich didn’t allow a hit in a scoreless bottom half of the seventh.
“Pitchers came in and threw strikes,” Elam said. “Emmett is a strike throwing machine, and Cole looked like the Cole from last year. That was good to see.”
Rice finished 2 for 2 with two RBIs to lead the Wolves offensively, while Joel Beldo added two hits and scored a pair of runs.
Both teams will be at home on Friday. Black Hills (1-5, 1-4 2A EvCo) will welcome Shelton, while W.F. West (10-1, 5-0 2A EvCo) is set to host Tumwater in a battle between the final two teams unbeaten in league play.
“I want us to go out and compete our butts off,” Elam said. “It’s going to be a fun, intense environment.”
