There were two unconventional walk-off finishes on Saturday May 8
th. Fortunately for the Lower Columbia baseball team the walk-offs were victories.
Grant Sherrod, after earlier smashing a three-run homer, got a base hit the triggered the mercy-rule and gave the Devils a 10-0 victory in game one.
In the nightcap it was
Daniel Gernon's RBI double to right field that gave LCC an 8-7 victory to complete the sweep. Gernon's game winner scored
Matthew Schwarz who started the inning at second base under the Covid-19 international tiebreaker rule.
In the first game,
Spencer Andersen went six innings, allowing no runs, scattering eight hits with six strikeouts and just one walk.
Alex Bratton went one shutout inning after that.
No other Devils would need to pitch because off the mercy rule winner in the bottom of the 7
th.
Sherrod was 2 for 4 with the three-run jack in the third inning and the game ender in the 7
th.
The Devils got much production from the top of the lineup. Schwarz was 2 for 4 with an RBI, Gernon was 2 for 3 with an RBI and
Drew Steelhammer was 2 for 4. The first four hitters in the LCC lineup went a combined 8 for 15 with seven RBI's.
The second game was wild and rough. Pierce took advantage of two LCC errors to plate a couple of unearned runs off Red Devil starter
Sam Stuhr. Stuhr ended up going four innings with five strikeouts and two walks.
Down 3-0 beginning the bottom of the second frame, the Devils exploded for five runs on four hits. The inning was highlighted by back-to-back-to-back doubles by Schwarz, Gernon and Steelhammer.
Brody Merritt was outstanding in middle relief as he went two perfect innings with two strikeouts.
Ahead 7-6 with three outs to get, LCC's
Ryan Pitts gave up two hits and an RBI groundout. The Raiders tied it up at 7-7 and we went to extra innings.
Using the international rule, the Raiders had a chance to take the lead but Gernon made a great catch in deep centerfield and
Jeter Larson collected a strikeout and ground out to get out of it. Larson would get the victory when the Devils won it in the bottom of the 8
th.
Ethan Stacy had a key hit in the game when he smacked a pinch-hit, RBI double in the 5
th inning to give LCC the 7-6 lead.
Sherrod walked three times in the second game.
The Devils go to 18-2 on the season and will play the Raiders again on Sunday at the Puyallup Rec Center, first pitch at 12 noon. The scheduled starters are
Griffin Henry and
Michael Callia Jr.