WCDS rallies in seventh inning

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on May 9, 2006 2:16 PM

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The seventh inning has been feast or famine for the Wayne Country Day Chargers this season.

Three times, coach Michael Taylor has seen his senior-less baseball team go through the growing pains of losing in the last inning.

This time, the shoe was on the other foot.

On Monday afternoon, the Chargers scored five times in the home half of the seventh to come from behind and defeat Faith Christian Academy of Rocky Mount 8-7 in a Coastal Plains Independent Conference game.

"This has been going on the past four or five games," said Taylor. "This is the third time this year we have won in the seventh -- and we have lost three games in the seventh."

Faith scored the first run of the game in the third inning on hits by twin brothers Garrett and Aaron Fly.

Garrett Fly also hurled a complete game for the Patriots, retiring the first nine Charger batters he faced.

"We were too picky early at the plate," Taylor said. "We needed to hit his first good pitch instead of waiting for his curve or slider."

Sam Steed singled to center in the fourth for the Chargers' first hit, but Faith got out of the inning unscathed as Wayne Country Day left the bases loaded.

The Chargers, however, took the lead in the fifth. Cory Robert led off the inning with a single to left field. Two outs later, leadoff hitter Cameron Ford stroked another single to left. Steed followed with a two-run single that brought home Robert and Ford. Steed then scampered home on a Ryan Ford single to right.

Charger starting pitcher Trent Langston held the Patriots to just one run and four hits through five innings, but Faith lashed out six hits and scored five runs with only one out in the sixth.

That forced Taylor to bring on Kevin Herring in relief. Herring got off to a shaky start and walked in a run, but settled down nicely to get the last two outs.

Sophomore Ryan Ford came on to pitch in the seventh for Wayne Country Day and held the Patriots scoreless to pick up the win for the Chargers.

Wayne Country Day staged their five-run rally in the seventh with the assistance of just one hit. The Chargers quickly loaded the bases on two Patriot infield errors and a hit batter. Travis Davis then unloaded a double off the base of the left center field wall to bring in a pair of runs.

Two more errors and a walk enabled the Chargers to tie the game.

With the bases loaded and only one out, Joseph Cha hit a grounder to third. A high throw to the plate allowed Langston to score the winning run.

"After losing two games last week, this win was huge," Taylor said. "My guys played with heart in the seventh inning.

"I told them we had to get runners on base and things would happen -- today we came through and got it done."

The win improved the Chargers' conference record to 7-6 with a final home contest this afternoon against conference foe Village Christian. Wayne Country Day will learn its seeding in the state playoffs Wednesday.

Faith 000 106 0 -- 7 9 5

Wayne Country Day 000 030 5 -- 8 6 4

Leading hitters -- Faith -- Jarred Kelly 2-4, run, RBI; Neal Woodcock 2-4; Zack Barnes 1-4, run, RBI; Garrett Fly 1-4, run, RBI; Brandon Miles 1-3, RBI; Clayton Kelly 1-2, 2 runs, RBI; Aaron Fly 1-4, run, RBI. Wayne Country Day -- Cameron Ford 1-4, 2 runs; Sam Steed 2-4, 2 runs, 2 RBIs; Ryan Ford 1-2, run, RBI; Travis Davis 1-4, 2B, run, 2 RBIs; Kevin Herring 0-3, run, RBI; Cory Robert 1-2, run.

IP H R ER BB SO

Faith

G. Fly (L) 61/3 6 8 4 6 6

Wayne Country Day

T. Langston 51/3 9 7 5 4 5

Kevin Herring 2/3 0 0 0 1 0

Ryan Ford (W) 1 0 0 0 1 1

Fly pitched to nine batters in the 7th