BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Union County High School’s baseball team trailed by just one until host and top seed Lafayette scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth in handing the second seed Tigers a 7-2 loss in the first game of the best-of-three Region 3-Rural championship series on May 5.
The second game of the series will be played on Tuesday, May 6, at 7 p.m. at Lafayette.
Union (14-15), which scored both of its runs in the fourth inning, squandered scoring opportunities in the final two innings, putting two on with no outs in the sixth and loading the bases with no outs in the seventh.
Lafayette (23-2) took a 3-0 lead in the second. After pitcher Erick Lasseter struck out the leadoff batter, the Hornets’ Jordan Murphy and Lathan Garrard hit back-to-back singles. Murphy tagged up and advanced to third on a fly out to right by Tywan Williamson before Hyatt Richardson hit the first pitch he saw into left for a run-scoring single. Brayden Richardson and Garrett Taylor followed with run-scoring singles before Union got out of the inning on a ground out.
Hornets pitcher Ethan Tuten struck out the first two batters in the top of the third, but the Tigers put two on, with Jeffrey Brugh and Lasseter each hitting a single. A fly out to right ended the inning.
The Tigers got on the board in the next inning. With one out and no one on, Kendall Carter hit a single. Devin Diggs then drove a 2-1 pitch into right for a double. After a strikeout for the second out, Brezdyn Browning hit a 1-2 pitch into right for a single that scored Carter and Diggs, making it a 3-2 game. The inning ended on a strikeout.
Trenton Klein led off the Tigers’ half of the sixth with a double into right field. Carter then took four straight pitches and walked. However, after a fly out, Tuten struck out two straight batters to end the scoring threat.
Tuten, who pitched six innings, finished with seven strikeouts.
Lafayette’s Murphy led off the bottom of the sixth and was down 1-2 in the count before taking three straight pitches for balls and reaching on a walk. Dawson Cannon was hit by a pitch before Williamson bunted and reached on an error, which allowed two runs to score. Williamson advanced all the way to third on the play.
The inning continued with Hyatt Richardson hitting an RBI single, but Richardson was later picked off at first by relief pitcher Browning. After Brayden Richardson hit a fly ball and reached on an error, Union recorded the second out on a fly ball to center fielder Brugh. Tuten was then hit by a pitch to keep the inning going for Trevor Byrd. Byrd fell behind 0-2 in the count before hitting a run-scoring single into center field, putting the Hornets up 7-2.
Evan Roberts was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the seventh. Brugh and Lasseter both walked to load the bases. Union’s next two batters were put out on a foul pop-up to first and a lineout at second, while the third struck out to end the game and leaving all three baserunners stranded.
Lasseter was the only Union batter with multiple hits, going 2 for 3.
Union is attempting to avoid being eliminated in the regional finals for the fourth straight year. The Tigers’ last two seasons ended with losses to Lafayette.
