BLOOMINGTON — After the first two innings, it looked like a baseball game Bloomington South had no business winning.
The last five were another matter. And if there is one thing Panther head coach Phil Kluesner preaches and demands from his team, it’s to dig in its heels for all seven.
Down three runs, Tyler Morris put together a heroic six innings of sterling relief, striking out 10 of the last 19 batters he faced without giving up a run.
That gave South a chance rally in the sixth and seventh innings, with Drew Palileo’s two-out, two-strike, walk-off single giving the Panthers another stunning win, this time 5-4 over Edgewood on Thursday, April 9.
“That’s why you play seven,” Kluesner said. “We kept it close enough. We didn’t give up any big innings. These guys are veterans. They’ve done it before. They’ve come back.
“They came back in both games Saturday. I like they’re savvy as far as being calm on the situation. They know how I see it. It’s a series of seven one-inning games. And if you don’t get the momentum, you get beat.”
Like last year, he recalled, in Edgewood’s 6-4 rain-shortened win over South.
“I was proud of them for fighting it,” Kluesner said. “But that kid was on. He was really good.”
Shields gave Edgewood a chance
That kid was Edgewood starter Anthony Shields, who had South on lockdown for six innings before his pitch count ended his day a bit earlier then he’d have liked. He was changing speeds and getting his breaking stuff over the plate to fan eight.
But South (4-0) made him work a little extra in the fifth and sixth, and it paid off.
“He’s just a competitor,” Kluesner said. “Baseball’s temperamental like that. You can get beat by anybody on any given day if the pitcher is on. He was on, he just ran out of pitches.”
Braxton Carpenter, with four stitches still in his hand, came on to protect a 4-2 lead but South found a way with the top of the order due.
A leadoff double by Reid Walker, a walk to Max Surdam and a one-out single by Jake McCammon made it 4-3. It was a much-needed hit for the catcher.
Connor Couch slugged a sacrifice fly to right center before Palileo drilled the game winner.
“It’s early,” Kluesner said. “We have guys who are not even here yet. McCammon’s a big piece of our offensive puzzle and he’s struggled out of the gate.
“That’s why we say you have to stick with the process. Put your head down and continue to do your thing. He’s very valuable (behind the plate) but his teammates have been picking him up and when he gets going, we should be in pretty good shape.”
Before then, the Panthers had just four hits, scoring a lone run on a ground out in the second to trail 4-1 after five when Shields worked around a couple of walks.
Then the Mustangs defense had a let-down in the sixth with three errors. It turned into just one run, but that was enough. A misplayed ball at short and a pickoff throw to third with the sun in Carter Hayden’s eyes that went into left let pinch runner Collin Marcum score.
Shields stopped the bleeding, but was over 100 pitches and had done his job for a team with more walks given up than strikeouts in the first three games.
“I liked the way he competed,” Jones said. “We’ve been struggling with throwing strikes. But he was on it. He battled. (Pitching coach Mac Kido) went out for that one mound visit, (Shields) said, ‘What the hell are you doing out here? This is my game.’
“I told him, that’s the kind of attitude I want. I want you showing you’ve got the confidence to go out there and help this team and do what you’re supposed to do. And you did a good job.”
Morris saves the day
Connor Parker struggled in his first start of the year, lasting just two batters into the second inning, forcing Morris to step in.
“He’s that guy,” Kluesner said. “We’ve been using him as a reliever, but I think we can use him as a starter and spot relieve him. He got the save against Jasper (in a 7-6 win). He held them at bay.”
Morris gave up back-to-back hits and a sac fly to start, and that was it. From there, it was a pitcher’s duel between Morris and Shields. Neither yielded.
“We got started early, hit the ball well and then all of a sudden we just got kind of passive,” Jones said. “Instead of getting on the fastball, which is what we should have been swinging at.”
Edgewood (2-2) had seven hits, all in the first four innings as Hayden went 2-for-2 with a sac fly and two RBIs.
“I was pleased with the way they played, I just didn’t like the outcome,” Jones said. “We just had to continue to swing the bat. I was happy with the way we started out.
“Bloomington South, teams that are ranked, they use every at-bat, they use every inning.”
BLOOMINGTON SOUTH 5, EDGEWOOD 4
Edgewood (2-2) 220 | 000 | 0 — 4 | 7 | 3
Bloomington South (4-0) 010 | 001 | 3 — 4 | 7 | 1
Anthony Shields, Braxton Carpenter (7) and Sam Lawson. Connor Parker, Tyler Morris (2) and Jake McCammon. W: Morris (1-0). L: Carpenter (1-1). 2B: Carter Hayden (E), Reid Walker (S).
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Bloomington South baseball rolls another lucky 7 to rally past Edgewood
Reporting by Jim Gordillo, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
