SHERIDAN — After scoring 23 runs in seven innings to oust the River Valley Tropics in the losers’ bracket finals (23-11), the Hot Springs Lakeside Rams broke open a close game with the Bryant Short Shop Black Sox scoring seven times in the fourth Saturday night. The Rams forged a 12-3 win over the Sox, who had been the last team left in the AA American Legion State Tournament without a loss.
As a result, the two teams will play for the third time in three days at the tournament, which started with 14 teams, on Sunday at 2 p.m., in a winner-take-all championship game at Oliver Williams Field. The Black Sox are vying for their first AA State title ever.
Despite the big inning, the key for Lakeside was the arrival of Jonathan Barmore. The right-hander, one of the senior aces of the Lakeside High School team last spring, arrived as the game was getting underway. In fact, when the Rams coach turned in their line-up card, he told the officials and scorekeeper that Barmore was on his way and he was listing him as number 32, though he wasn’t sure which jersey (and number) the right-hander was bringing.
Barmore was among several players for both the Rams and the Sox that went on vacation after the first half of the tournament last weekend, apparently unaware or uninformed at the start of the season that the AA tourney would be contested over two weekends instead of on consecutive days.
The Sox had just tied the game 2-2 in the home first against Lakeside starter Race Tittle and had runners at the corners with one out. As the inning was developing, Barmore arrived (wearing number 29), warmed up in the bullpen and was called to the mound.
Bryant’s Preston Kyzer greeted him with a groundout to second base that drove in the tie-breaking run. He then unleashed a wild pitch that the runner at third, Matthew Sandidge didn’t get a good break on. He started to sprint home, stopped and went back. In the meantime, Rams catcher Zac Melugin recovered the ball and fired to third. When the throw sailed into left field, Sandidge reversed course again and headed home. But Lakeside left-fielder Caleb Lloyd was hustling to back up the play and Sandidge started to go back again. Lloyd’s threw home got by Melugin, however, and here came Sandidge homeward. Melugin pounced on the ball and fired to Barmore at the plate. He applied the tag and Sandidge was called out to end the inning.
Barmore went on to shut out the Sox the rest of the game on just two hits. He walked two and, using a slow curve and what looked like a cutter to augment his fastball, he fanned eight.
He also provided the highlight of the seven-run fourth at the plate when he belted a two-run homer to make it 11-3.
Bryant’s C.J. Wallace, who pitched very well for the Sox during the regular season but hadn’t taken the mound in a while, started the game and battled before Lakeside erupted in the fourth. Daniel Darbonne relieved and finished allowing just one run on two hits over the final 3 1/3.
The Sox got a lift from the return of Joey Cates, who started in center after being hit in the back of the head by a line drive in the Sox’ 12-6 win over the Rams in the winners’ bracket final on Friday. Cates contributed a sacrifice bunt in the team’s three-run first then was robbed of a hit by Barmore on a one-hop shot back to the box in the second with Cameron Coleman at second, representing the tying run.
Lakeside took a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on RBI singles by Brandon Hall and Melugin. With runners at the corners and one out, however, Wallace stepped up and retired Carter West and Tittle.
Coleman worked a walk to start the bottom of the inning then Jordan Gentry slapped a single to right. Cates sacrificed to put both in scoring position for Christian Harp. After driving in four runs on three hits on Saturday against Lakeside, Harp picked up where he left off, cracking an RBI single to right. And when the ball was misplayed, Gentry followed Coleman home to make it 2-2.
Sandidge singled Harp to third then Barmore entered to face Kyzer.
Down 3-2, the Rams regained the upper hand in the top of the second. Tanner Rice tripled in a run then scored on a two-out single by Jon Youngblood when Wallace and the Sox were a strike away from escaping with the game knotted at 3.
Myles Buck was robbed of a hit by Lakeside second sacker Blake Spilker to start the home second and Barmore retired the side in order.
In turn, Wallace set down the Rams 1-2-3 in the top of the third. Coleman walked and stole second to start Bryant’s third inning. With one out, Cates was robbed then Barmore ended the threat with a strikeout to keep it 4-3.
The game-breaking fourth began with a single by Spilker and a walk to Lloyd. Rice got a sacrifice bunt down but a wild throw down the right-field line allowed both runners to score as Rice raced to third.
Wallace got a strikeout but a walk to Youngblood was followed by RBI singles from Hall and Melugin. West picked up an RBI with a groundout to Kyzer at first, making it 9-3. A pitch later, Barmore unloaded and it was 11-3.
The Sox threatened in the fifth when Darbonne shot a single up the middle, advanced on Jeffrey Hastings’ roller to the right side then took third when Coleman hit one back to the mound. Barmore made the ill-advised decision to throw to third. Darbonne got in safely and, moments later, Coleman swiped second. But Barmore fanned the next two batters to preserve the lead.
In the sixth, the right-hander fanned the first two before Kyzer yanked a single to left and Buck worked a walk. But, again, Barmore and the Rams wiggled out of the jam.
They tacked on a run in the top of the seventh. Singles by Lloyd and Rice, along with a walk to Nickles, filled the sacks. Youngblood delivered a sacrifice fly but Darbonne kept it to that, getting Hall to bounce out to Hastings at second.
Barmore, however, eased through the bottom of the seventh forcing the two teams into one last showdown on Sunday.
