BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Landen Miller drew a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the 10th to bring the winning run home in the Union County High School baseball team’s 3-2 win over visiting Liberty County in a Region 3-1A semifinal game on May 7.
Miller was facing a full count when he fouled off a pitch. He then took the next pitch for a ball, which put the second seed Tigers (15-13) into the Region 3 championship game. Union will travel to play top seed Lafayette (22-2) on Saturday, May 11, at 7 p.m.
It’s a rematch of last year’s Region 3 final, which was won by Lafayette 12-3. The Hornets, who defeated fourth seed Madison County in the other Region 3 semifinal game, are 3-0 against the Tigers this year, including a 2-1 win in the May 2 District 6 championship game.
Third seed Liberty (16-8) put multiple runners on in each of the first three innings, but all they managed off starting pitcher Erick Lasseter in those innings was one run.
The Bulldogs’ Sy Shiver and Samuel Burns hit back-to-back singles with one out in the top of the first. Gavin Jenkins then hit a ground ball to third baseman Jake Walker for the start of an inning-ending double play.
Thomas Fletcher was hit by a pitch to lead off Liberty’s half of the second. Cayson Evans ground into a fielder’s choice with one out, with Fletcher being put out at second. Gabriel Patton then hit a double, with Evans holding up at third. Union got out of the inning on a ground out to second baseman Riggs Davis.
Liberty’s Rylan Roddenberry led off the top of the third with a single. Shiver then reached on an error. Lasseter struck out Burns, but Jenkins followed with a run-scoring double to put the Bulldogs up 1-0.
The Tigers’ Ayden Androlevich led off the bottom of the third with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball. He was still standing on second with two outs, but scored when Trenton Klein hit a double, tying the game at 1-1.
Liberty’s leadoff batter was hit by a pitch to start the fourth, but a strikeout and a double play ended the inning.
The Bulldogs again put their leadoff batter on in the fifth when Roddenberry singled. Roddenberry advanced to second when Union committed an error on a pickoff attempt. Bonsall then recorded three straight put outs in center field.
Androlevich led off the bottom of the fifth with a walk. He advanced to second on Davis’ sacrifice bunt and to third on a single from Bonsall. Klein’s sacrifice fly brought Androlevich home to put the Tigers ahead 2-1.
Liberty put its leadoff batter on in the top of the sixth, but the Tigers’ third double play helped them get out of the inning.
Patton led off the top of the seventh with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Tanner McSpaddin. After Roddenberry walked, Shiver hit a line drive into center field to score Patton and tie the game at 2-2.
Union got a one-out walk from Bonsall in the bottom of the seventh. He moved to second on a balk and stole third before Thomassen drew a two-out walk. A ground out ended the threat.
Bonsall had Union’s first hit in extra innings with a one-out single in the eighth, but he was picked off at first before Klein followed with a single of his own. A fly out ended the inning.
Liberty put its leadoff runner on in the 10th when Jenkins reached on an error. Fletcher bunt into a fielder’s choice, which resulted in Jenkins being put out at second. Trenton Hires drew a walk before the Tigers turned another double play, with Walker catching a line drive hit by Evans. Walker threw to Davis to double off the runner at second.
The Tigers’ half of the 10th began with a strikeout, but a Walker single and walks drawn by Lasseter and Diggs loaded the bases with one out for Miller.
Lasseter finished 3 for 3, while Klein was 2 for 3. Bonsall and Walker went 2 for 4 and 2 for 5, respectively.
On the mound, Lasseter allowed two runs (one earned), eight hits and one walk in 6.1 innings. He struck out three.
Bonsall and Clayton Poppell combined to allow no hits in 1.2 innings.
Androlevich earned the win, giving up no hits in the final two innings.
