Hawks top Colonels in 13 innings

By Mark Sawyer
Special to The Winchester Star

STEPHENS CITY — Thursday night’s Northwestern District play-in baseball game between fourth-seeded James Wood and No. 5 Skyline may have been error-filled for seven innings with the appearance that neither team wanted to win.

But it turned into an instant classic before a winner was decided.

Through seven innings the two teams combined to allow seven unearned runs and were locked in a 4-4 tie after the Hawks rallied for two two-out runs in the top of the seventh to force extra innings.

From that point, hits and runs were at a premium, as the two teams battled into the evening for the right to move onto Saturday’s Northwestern District semifinals. The game remained tied until Skyline’s Mike Accettullo rocketed an RBI triple off the left field fence in the top of the 13th inning, propelling the Hawks to a 6-4 victory in a game played at Sherando High School.

“What a great baseball game,” Skyline coach Nick Sborz said. “This was awesome to watch, [a] fun game to be a part of. We’ve been on that other side. It’s a lot better to win. That’s a great ball club we just beat, a couple more hits fell in for us tonight.”

After losing the first seven district games of the season Skyline (6-15) has won two straight and advances to face top-seeded host Sherando Saturday at 1 p.m.

For the second straight night, James Wood (3-18) all but had the game won with a two-run lead and two outs in the seventh inning. But, once again, the Colonels’ defense couldn’t finish off the game.

Leading 4-2 to start the seventh it appeared that Wood would cruise to victory when reliever Matt Copley retired the first two hitters with ease. But then Eli McEatheron’s ground ball was misplayed to start the rally and Copley walked Ryan Settle.

Again it appeared the Colonels had won the game when Ty Helmick’s groundball was fielded, but a bad throw to first allowed McEatheron to score and prolonged the game. The next hitter, Greg Strickland, lofted a soft single scoring pinch runner Joe Bass and tying the game.

“It was rough there in the first couple,” Sborz said. “Our guys battled and we came back and tied it up there, that was nice. We didn’t give up. That’s been our motto the last couple of weeks, we don’t quit.”

Copley, who came on in relief in the fourth inning, was nearly untouchable. He worked 92/3 innings, giving up eight hits, walking two and struck out a mind-boggling 16 hitters.

But the Hawks were able to touch him up for two runs in the 13th, saddling him with his second hard-luck loss in as many nights.

With one out in the 13th, Rodney Custer hit one off the end of the bat that rolled just inside the third-base line for an infield hit. Accettullo followed by ripping one over the head of left fielder Mitchell Prelip and off the fence for an RBI triple and a 5-4 lead.

McEathron then dropped down a suicide squeeze to make it 6-4.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Accettullo said. “I was just trying to put the ball in play and make things happen. I was just trying to relax and trust my hands. This has been a hard season, but I think we’re finally bringing it together. I think we’re finally getting some confidence and getting on a roll.”

The Colonels had a golden opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the 11th with one out and runners on first and third. But Scott Johnson fouled out an attempted suicide squeeze.

Johnson then lifted a foul ball down the first baseline just beyond the Skyline dugout. The Hawks’ Ty Helmick made the catch while running toward the bullpen. Seeing that Wood’s Andrew Burnett tagged up at third and tried to sneak home with the winning run, Hemlick threw a perfect strike to catcher George Carter to cut down Burnett and kill the rally.

Skyline jumped out to an early 2-0 lead by scoring unearned runs in both the third and fourth innings.

Wood cut the lead in half in the fourth inning when Brock Lockhart scored on Burnett’s two-out single. Lockhart reached by being hit by a pitch and stole second.

The Colonels looked like they were going rally for the win by scoring three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

“That was a heck of a game,” James Wood coach Jared Mounts said. “Both teams wanted to win, neither wanted to lose. What more can you ask? That’s the game of baseball. The team that executes is going to win. Our guys worked hard all year. I’m proud of them. they gave it their all — no regrets.”