Clark fans 12, Wiggins scores winning run in Knights’ comeback win

ALBANY — Lan Wiggins raced home from second base on a wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning to lift Deerfield-Windsor to a dramatic 5-4 comeback win over the Tiftarea Panthers on Monday at Addison Field.

Just three days earlier, it was Tiftarea that walked off with a win on a seventh-inning single to beat the Knights, 3-2.

Friday’s rematch was tied 4-4 entering the bottom of the seventh. A pitch hit Wiggins to lead off the inning, and after an out, Lane Sceals singled to center to put runners on first and second. With Quinton Peterson at the plate and the count 2-2, a pitch got away, and Wiggins sprinted home to score the winning run.

The Panthers built an early 4-0 lead in the third inning, but the Knights chipped away, starting in the fourth. After back-to-back singles from Sceals and Peterson, Brantley Michlig delivered a two-out double to center to score both runners and put Deerfield-Windsor on the board. Later in the inning, Gabe Daniel singled to left to bring home Michlig after an error extended the inning.

Deerfield-Windsor tied the game in the fifth when David Hutchins grounded out to score Boyd Pollock.

Sophomore left-hander Collins Clark went the distance on the mound to earn the win. He allowed four runs on four hits and three walks while striking out 12 Panthers.

The Knights (13-4-1), currently ranked No. 5 in the GIAA rankings, now hold a half-game lead over region rival Valwood. The two teams, both ranked in the top 10, will face off twice this week. Valwood, ranked No. 7, will visit Albany on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. game, and the Knights will travel to Valdosta for the rematch on Friday.