Deerfield Windsor baseball loses in extra innings

ALBANY — Glenwood Academy center fielder Trevor Crisco made a diving catch on a ball hit by Deerfield-Windsor’s Jake Kinney in the bottom of the eighth inning with two outs and the bases loaded to save the game for the Gators and secure a 4-2 win over the Knights on Friday evening at Addison Field on the campus of Deerfield-Windsor School.

The Knights were trying to rally in the eighth inning after Glenwood struck for two runs in the top of the eighth. The game was tied 2-2 at the end of regulation. Kinney was the last hope for the Knights, facing a new relief pitcher, Landon Russell, who had fanned the last two batters. Glenwood opened the bottom of the eighth with lefty Jake Milton taking the mound, but the Knights’ Davis Lawson singled, Jack Kimbrel walked and Drew Reich hit a short single to left to load the bases with no outs. As Deerfield’s Walker Revell went to the plate for the Knights, Glenwood coach Tim Fanning went to the mound and replaced Milton with hard-throwing Russell. Russell quickly fanned the next two batters to set up the showdown with Kinney. Kinney had tied the game when he led off the bottom of the fifth with a home run over the fence in the right field corner. Kinney blooped the ball over second base into short center field and it looked certain to fall when Crisco dove for the ball and, laying flat on the ground, lifted the ball to show that he had caught it.

The Gators put the first run on the board in the top of the fifth against Deerfield-Windsor starter Jack Kimbrel. Avery Robinson hit a swinging bunt between the pitcher’s mound and third base and was safe at first to start the inning. Landon Russell was then hit by a pitch and Wes Johnson laid down a sacrifice bunt to move the runners over. Glenwood second baseman Anthony Torres then smacked a single to score Robinson and put the Gators ahead 1-0.

In the bottom of the fifth, Kinney led off with the home run, but the Knights got a second run in the fifth as well. With two outs, Drew Reich smacked the ball to the short stop, but he was safe at first. He went to second on a passed ball and then scored when Kimbrel belted a rope to center field. It was the second hard hit ball of the game for Kimbrel. In the bottom of the third Kimbrel smacked the ball to center field and was tagged out trying to make it to second base.

Kimbrel pitched the full seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits and three walks. He struck out five. Plowden, who took the loss on the mound, came in for the eighth inning with the game tied 2-2. The Gators’ Trevor Horne led off the eighth with a hit to the shortstop and was safe on a close play. Cody Bentz laid down a bunt to move Horne to second. After Jacob Harper was hit by a pitch, Plowden got his second out of the inning by striking out Russell, before Wes Johnson, a senior left hander for the Gators, roped a liner to center field that scored Horne and Harper. Plowden ended the rally by striking out the next batter.

The Knights will be looking to rebound when they host Tiftarea Academy Tuesday in Albany. First pitch it set for 6 p.m.

Joe WhitfieldBy Joe Whitfield

By Joe Whitifeld

By Joe Whitfield

By Joe Whitfield