BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Telegraph Staff Writer
Visiting Madison County put together a late rally, but the Union County High School baseball team was able to hang on for a 6-5 win in a Region 3-1A semifinal game on May 10.
The Cowboys (15-9) scored three runs in the top of the seventh and had the tying run at third with two outs. Ayden Elixson took the mound in relief of starting pitcher Ethan Moody and recorded a strikeout to end the game and send the Tigers to the Region 3 championship game.
Union (18-8) will travel to Mayo to play Lafayette (20-4) on Saturday, May 13, at 7 p.m. The Hornets and the Tigers are the number-one and number-two seeds in the region, respectively, as well as the top two teams in the state.
Lafayette advanced with an 11-1 win over Wakulla Christian (17-8).
The Tigers took an early lead over Madison with three runs in the first. Leadoff batter Jeremy Miller was hit by a pitch, followed by Elixson drawing a walk. Tre’Von Lee’s single scored both, while an error on the play allowed Lee to advance to third. Lee scored on Erick Lasseter’s sacrifice fly. Union put another runner in scoring position with two outs when Preston Bonsall doubled, but a strikeout ended the inning.
Madison’s Kyler Richie led off the top of the second with a single. After a sacrifice bunt by Joshua Watts, he scored on Mason Plain’s sacrifice fly to make it a 3-1 game.
The Cowboys threatened to score in the third when J.D. Bryan hit a leadoff double, but Moody fielded a ground ball by the next batter and threw to third baseman Devin Diggs to put out courtesy runner Michael Mobley.
Lasseter reached on an error to lead off the Tigers’ half of the fourth, but a Bonsall line drive to first baseman Lawson resulted in a double play.
Union had two outs and no one on in the fifth when Miller and Elixson hit back-to-back singles. Tucker Hardee walked to load the bases before Lee hit a single that scored Miller. An error on the play allowed Elixson and Hardee to score as well, putting the Tigers up 6-1.
Lee finished 2 for 3 with three RBI, while Elixson went 2 for 2.
The Cowboys put a run on the board in the sixth. Jackson Kendrick hit a one-out single and advanced to second on an error. Kendrick moved to third on a Richie ground out before scoring on a Watts single.
Madison trailed 6-2 entering the seventh. Jason McDaniel led off the inning with a single. Moody recorded his fifth strikeout of the game before the Cowboys strung together singles by Lawson, Parker Copeland and Evan Lago, resulting in two runs to make the score 6-4. A Kendrick fly ball to Bonsall in left field allowed Copeland to tag up at third and score, making it a one-run game.
Moody gave way to Elixson. Elixson’s first pitch to Richie was a ball. Richie then fouled off two straight pitches before a swinging miss resulted in the game-ending strikeout.
In 6.2 innings, Moody gave up nine hits and no walks.
