ECBL: Watt delivers game-winning, walk-off hit for CBA Blue

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on July 3, 2014 1:48 PM

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RUDY COGGINS

rcoggins@newsargus.com

PIKEVILLE -- Mason Watt got his redemption during a memorable final at-bat on a sweltering Wednesday evening.

Tied at 9-9 in the bottom of the seventh with two outs, Watt stepped into the batter's box and quickly fell behind in the count against Wayne Christian reliever Tanner Rose.

His teammates shouted "keep your head in, Mason!" as he worked Rose to a full count. Watt fouled off three consecutive pitches and exhaled a big breath before he stepped into the box again.

Rose got the signal.

This time, Watt kept his head in and drilled the game-winning, walk-off single into shallow left field to lift Charles B. Aycock Blue past the Eagles, 10-9, at Charles Davis Field. It was the Eastern Carolina Baseball League finale for both teams.

"I'm proud of him, he battled," CBA Blue head coach Allen Thomas said. "He got behind, worked the count back in his favor and fouled some pitches off. I told the kids that's what I want to see ... kids who want to get up there and want to succeed."

Watt ended the night 2-for-3 with three RBI.

Aycock almost avoided the last-inning drama.

Wayne Christian (9-4-1 overall) extended the Golden Falcons' first inning with an infield throwing error. Watt connected on a two-RBI single and Trent Herndon delivered an RBI base knock as part of a five-run, second-inning uprising.

But Thomas couldn't reel in his horses after they bolted from the stable. Aycock (11-2) scratched for a single run in the fourth and watched that eight-run advantage evaporate one inning later.

Rose and eighth-grader Jaxon Anderson cranked out back-to-back singles, and moved into scoring position on Alex Henderson's sacrifice bunt. Catcher Hunter Burt broke up Charlie Robertson's shutout bid with an RBI single to center field, and the Eagles' offense exploded.

"They started staying back a little bit and centering up on the ball," said Wayne Christian head coach Curt Hinton, whose team dropped its fourth one-run decision of the season.

"Jaxon coming in off the bench gets a base hit and I think everybody thought 'hey, if Jaxon is going to do it, we can do it' and that really ignited the fire."

Four more hits, a walk and an outfield error pushed Wayne Christian in front, 9-8.

"They hit it, give credit to them," Thomas said. "We couldn't find an out. Sometimes it goes like that. (Keeping leads) has been a problem for us ... not having a killer instinct and we've done that several times this summer not being able to put teams away."

Aycock tied the game at 9-9 on a wild pitch in the sixth.

Brandon Price reached base in the seventh against CBA Blue reliever Bobby Hampton. But Hampton, who has verbally committed to Appalachian State, picked off Price and induced the Eagles' next batter into an inning-ending strikeout.

Golden Falcons' catcher Braxton Leeper reached on an infield error in the bottom of the seventh. Jacob Sanford replaced Leeper at first base and took second on a passed ball.

One out later, Watt provided his game-winning hit and committing a strikeout in the fifth inning.

"His previous at-bat wasn't very good, but he was determined to get up there and make better of it," Thomas said.

Wayne Christian owned a 9-8 advantage in total hits. Hampton earned the mound win, while Rose endured the pitching defeat in 1 1/3 innings of relief.