H.S. BASEBALL: Lexington’s Small Ks 17, gets walk-off hit
LEXINGTON – Lexington’s Ethan Small has been scouted by many Major League Baseball teams for his ability to pitch, but on Saturday, it was Small’s ability to get a clutch hit that sent the Tigers to the win.
Small struck out 17 batters, but it was the walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning that brought home two runs to lead Lexington to the 5-4 victory over Milan in a matchup of regular season district champions.
“My arm felt fresh and loose,” Small said. “Coming out today, I felt it was going to be different. I had 10 strikeouts against Chester County Monday, but it was below my normal.”
Lexington (15-11) is the No. 1 seed in the District 14-AA tournament, while Milan (20-12) is the top seed in the District 13-AA tournament.
Small pitched the first 6.2 innings, allowing five baserunners on two hits, striking out 17 and walking one.
But it was the final out in the top of the seventh inning the Tigers struggled to get. Lexington went through four pitchers before the team could get that out.
In the process, Milan scored four runs to take the 4-2 lead. Connor Creasy started the scoring with a two-RBI single to tie the game 2-2. Hunter Haywood then gave the Bulldogs the lead (4-2) with a two-RBI single to centerfield.
The game went from a no-hitter to a two-run deficit quickly for the Tigers.
“We lose focus for one minute, and we have our backs against the wall,” Lexington coach Adam Harrington said. “We can’t lose focus for seven innings.”
But Lexington’s batting lineup was ready to put some offense together for themselves as the first five batters reached base.
“For this team, it is about them getting up,” Harrington said. “When we do, we can accomplish anything. We were in the same situation last year in region against Milan. We were down three going into the seventh inning and needed to score four to win.”
Tyler Anderson drove in the first run with a fielder’s choice that allowed Tucker White to score, but it was Small’s walk-off double that brought home Raleigh Odle and Anderson for the win.
“It was passing the bat to the next person,” Small said. “We can’t play for one run to win it, so we had to put the ball in play.”
Saturday’s game also saw the return of Tylan Johnson for Lexington, as he had a single in the sixth inning.