VALDOSTA —
From hits, errors, runs and questionable calls to fan ejections, Tuesday night’s crosstown rivalry game between the Lowndes Vikings and the Valdosta Wildcats had it all.
Despite all the drama, and nearly three hours of baseball, the Vikings secured an 8-7 win over their crosstown rival.
“Seems like every time we play (Valdosta), or at least one time a year, stuff happens,” Lowndes head coach Danny Redshaw said.
With the Vikings (9-7) leading 8-6, and just three outs away from victory, Valdosta (4-8) started a seventh inning rally. Corey Jaramillo started the inning with a double down the left field line, a hit that just stayed inside the third base line. Jaramillo advanced to third base after Lowndes pitcher Dylan Roberts threw his pickoff throw into center field.
The play at third base was close, as Lance Jarriel’s throw from center arrived in sync with Jaramillo at the base, but the runner was called safe. The call sent Lowndes’ Redshaw onto the field to argue, and the same call earned a fan an ejection for arguing from the stands.
“I feel strongly that (the umpires) were 0 for 3 on all those calls,” Redshaw said. “And I think that most people here would agree with me. ... I just thought it was inconsistent.”
“It looked fair to me,” Valdosta head coach Bart Shuman said of the call. “This is a hard game to call, for anybody. But, it is what it is. No umpire is going to get (all of the calls) right.”
Following a near four-minute delay for the argument, Roberts struck out the next two Valdosta batters — Drew Morrison and Brogan Berard — before Jacob Davis delivered an RBI single that scored Jaramillo, which cut Lowndes’ lead to 8-7.
Kyle Wilkes then delivered a single, giving Valdosta runners at first and second base. Then Roberts beaned David Posas, which loaded the bases for the Wildcats.
“We are still very, very young,” Shuman said. “We gave up a few runs that were unnecessary and that got us in a hole, but I love the fight and the way we bounced back and found a way to get on base and score runs.”
Roberts calmed down, though, and forced Bradley Felkel to fly out to right field to end the game.
Roberts earned the save for Lowndes, recording the final six outs of the night. Pitcher Hank Davis earned the win for the Vikings, allowing no runs and no hits in his one inning of work.
Valdosta’s Brogen Berard took the loss on the hill, allowing eight runs (three earned) on eight hits in four-plus innings on the hill. Berard was plagued by poor defense, as the Wildcats finished the night with five errors, three from Posas at shortstop.
“Brogen did a good job and stayed in there and kept his composure,” Shuman said. “When everything else around him was going crazy, he was throwing strikes. I am just proud of the whole team and the effort.”
Both pitching staffs were sporadic. The Lowndes pitching staff hit six Wildcat batters with pitches, while Valdosta pelted one Viking batter on the night.
“We didn’t pitch it very well,” Redshaw said. “Nobody pitched it well. We were very fortunate to win.”
In the opening inning, it looked as though Lowndes was going to dominate. The Vikings batted around, scoring five runs in the process. On the first pitch of the inning, Jarriel belted a ball into left field for a single. Following a strikeout by Nick Higginbotham, Seth Evans reached on a double and Luke Miller reached on an error, scoring Jarriel from third.
Then Mason Brooks reached on another Valdosta error, which was followed by a Ty Harwell walk. Evans later scored on a wild pitch by Berard. Tyler Rehberg added two more runs to Lowndes’ lead with a two-run single, which made the score 4-0.
The Vikings weren’t done, though. On the following at-bat, Parker Armstrong drove in Harwell to make the score 5-0.
In the second inning, Trey Haygood led the inning off with a solo home run to left field for Valdosta, which was followed by a Jaramillo walk and a Kaleb Whitfield hit-by-pitch. Following a 4-6-3 double play, the Wildcats brought another run across home plate, as Jaramillo scored on a Davis single, which made the score 5-2.
After Lowndes added to its lead in the bottom of the second inning on a Miller home run to center field, Valdosta took over the scoring in the top of the fourth inning.
Facing new Viking pitcher Logan Hutchinson, the Wildcats used an error, a walk and a single to load the bases. Then Hutchinson drilled Valdosta’s Zach Newham to bring across a run, making the score 6-3. Posas continued the Wildcats’ charge, driving in Berard to bring Lowndes’ lead to just 6-4, with no outs in the inning. Felkel grounded into a fielder’s choice that scored Davis, which was followed by a game-tying RBI single from Daniel Tefft.
“I am very happy for them,” Shuman said. “We come to work every day, and they are getting better every game. We just have to stay with it and stay on course.”
The Vikings had an opportunity to regain the lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, loading the bases with just one out. But, after a meeting on the mound, Berard retired the next two Lowndes batters to end the inning, leaving the bases loaded in the process.
Lowndes regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning, using back-to-back doubles from Wortham and Jarriel to take a 7-6 lead. The two hits ended the day for Berard on the hill, and he was replaced by Haygood. Jarriel later scored on another error by Posas at shortstop, which made the score 8-6, Lowndes.
“I was real disappointed in the fact that we were not ready to play,” Redshaw said. “One thing I have said about this bunch is that they play hard, they don’t quit and they believe in themselves. That is a tough win, especially, like I said, when I don’t think we were mentally ready to play.”
Valdosta travels to Northside-Warner Robins today, and will face Warner Robins and Howard at 3 and 5 p.m. Lowndes will host Milton at 7 p.m. today.
Top Sports News
Related Photos
-
Lowndes head coach Danny Redshaw (11) congratulates Luke Miller after Miller’s home run against Valdosta on Tuesday. southernphotos.smugmug.com
-
Lowndes’ Dylan Roberts throws a pitch during the Vikings’ 8-7 win over Valdosta. southernphotos.smugmug.com
-
Valdosta's Brogen Berard throws a pitch during the Wildcats' game against Lowndes on Tuesday. southernphotos.smugmug.com
-
Lowndes' Garrett Fuller scores run in the first inning of Tuesday's game against Valdosta. southernphotos.smugmug.com
-
Valdosta catcher Drew Morrison, left, picks up a foul ball hit by Lowndes' Tyler Rehberg (5) on Tuesday night at Noel George Field. Valdosta first baseman Daniel Tefft (14) and second baseman Bradley Felkel (2) look on. southernphotos.smugmug.com
Discussion
Lowndes tops Valdosta
Vikings hold off late Wildcat rally, win 8-7
- Top Sports News
-
-
Gillespie, McPherson pleased with spring practices
Valdosta’s Rance Gillespie and Lowndes’ Randy McPherson both think their football teams got better during the recent 10 days of spring practice.
Then again, both coaches know their teams have a ways to go before the start of the football season. -
VSU softball wins South Region, headed to nationals
For the third time in four years, and second in a row, Valdosta State’s softball team will play in the national championship tournament.
The Blazers won their third South Region championship Saturday, beating Alabama-Huntsville 8-3 in game three of the best-of-three series at Steel’s Diamond at Blazer Park. -
Pop Warner Football coming to Valdosta
Pop Warner Football is coming to Valdosta.
The nationally known organization that puts an emphasis on education and developing American youth has been established in the Valdosta area and will begin playing football this August. -
Vikings commit 4 errors, fall to Roswell, 5-2
The small things matter in baseball, especially in a winner-take-all game three.
On Wednesday, Lowndes’ baseball team made too many mistakes on the little things. The Vikings committed four errors that led to five Roswell runs and were eliminated in the Class AAAAAA state playoffs with a 5-2 loss to the Hornets. -
VSU wins 7th GSC Men’s All-Sports Trophy
Look out Title Town, another trophy is coming to town.
Valdosta State’s athletic department was awarded a seventh Gulf South Conference Men’s All-Sports Trophy Tuesday, sharing the honor with West Florida.
The tie between VSU and West Florida marked the first time in the GSC’s 42-year history that a pair of schools shared the honor. Both schools finished the athletic season with 29.5 points, based on the conference’s point system that gauges athletic success. -
VSU softball beats Tampa, 12-6, to host Super Regional
Kiley Rusen picked a good time to have a career breakout day for the Valdosta State softball team. Slugging her first-career home run and triple, while driving in six runs, Rusen led the charge as the Blazers routed Tampa 12-6 to advance to a second straight NCAA South Super Regional Tournament.
-
Vikings sweep Alcovy
Cory Pope gave the Lowndes Vikings everything they needed in game one of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Alcovy Tigers. Then in game two, Lowndes’ offense came alive and provided plenty of support as the Vikings swept Alcovy 2-0 and 8-1 in the second round of the Class AAAAAA state playoffs at Noel George Field.
With the sweep, the Vikings advance to the Elite 8 — the state quarterfinals — where they will face either Roswell or Mill Creek, who will meet in a doubleheader today in Hoschton, on Tuesday. -
Berrien girls’ tennis in Final Four
It’s been quite the year for the Berrien girls’ tennis program. And today, the Rebels will try to make their season even better.
After clinching a school-record 20th win in the Elite 8 of the Class AA state playoffs Thursday with a 3-1 win over state-power Bleckley County, the Berrien girls will make the schools’ third all-time appearance in the Final Four when they host Westminster today at 3 p.m. in Nashville. -
VSU softball wins record fifth straight GSC championship
Valdosta State’s softball team claimed a record fifth straight Gulf south Conference tournament championship Sunday evening, erasing a 3-run deficit to beat archrival Alabama-Huntsville 4-3 in the championship game in Southaven, Miss.
The Blazers (41-10) became the first school in GSC-history to win five straight championships, a half-decade of dominance throughout the double-elimination tournament. -
Blazers erase 4-run deficit, knock off DSU in 10th
Valdosta State scored six unearned runs, including two in the bottom of the 10th inning, to defeat No. 2 Delta State 6-5 in the second day of play at the Taziki's Gulf South Conference Tournament Friday evening.
With the win, Valdosta State has now won 23 of its last 27 games and will face West Alabama in the winner’s bracket of the GSC tournament today at 1 p.m. The winner will advance to the GSC championship series. - More Top Sports News Headlines
-
Gillespie, McPherson pleased with spring practices
