’Cats win in extra innings

Published 11:34 pm Friday, April 15, 2011

MOULTRIE — Colquitt County scored single runs in the sixth and seventh innings to send its Friday night Region 1-AAAAA game against Valdosta into extra innings, only to have the Wildcats score in the top of the eighth and hold on for a 3-2 victory at Packer Park.

The loss drops the Packers into a tie for second place in the region with Tift County, which defeated Lowndes 8-5 in nine innings at Noel George Field.

Both the Packers are Blue Devils are 6-3 in the region and will meet on Tuesday in Tifton.

The loss was the fourth in a row for the Packers, who are now 10-10 overall.

Valdosta, which now has won two in a row over the Packers, climbs to 3-6 in the region.

The Wildcats scored their first two runs in the top of the third.

Brent Robison led off the inning against Packer starter Cole Pitts with a single and went to second when the ball got under the glove of Colquitt County left fielder Hayden Kudela.

Bradley Felkel followed with a single to center to score Robison.

After Tyler Yelito singled Felkel to third, Ryan Whilden’s sacrifice fly gave the Wildcats a 2-0 lead.

Valdosta had runners at second and third with none out in the fourth, but Pitts got out of it and went on pitch the first seven innings, giving up eight hits and striking out 13.

Whilden was just as good, holding the Packers to no runs and just one hit until Ryan Davis stroked a one-out triple to left in the sixth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Colin Kirkland. Colquittt had a chance to win it in the seventh when Zac Goodno reached on a one-out infield hit and Andy Bush, who ran for him, went to second on Austin Dykes single.

Kudela then followed with another base hit,  scoring Bush and sending Dykes, who represented the winning run, to third.

But Whilden struck out Payne Newsome and got Blake Stamps to pop out to end the inning.

Valdosta won it in the eighth when Trey Haygood drew a two-out walk from Goodno, who was on in relief of Pitts. Haygood stole second and scored when the throw sailed into center field.

Whilden gave up a two-out infield hit to Pitts in the bottom of the eighth before getting a ground out to end the game.