The Sudan Hornets’ varsity baseball team split the first two games of their series with Tahoka on Friday and Saturday to force a decisive game three.
In game one on Friday, the Hornets fell to the Bulldogs 9-5, in eight innings.
It was, 0-0, through two innings, until the Bulldogs pushed a run across in the top of the third to take a, 1-0, lead. Tahoka added two runs in the top of the fourth, but Sudan would answer in the home-half of the inning with three runs to tie the game, 3-3.
The Hornets would added two runs in the bottom of the fifth to take a, 53, lead into the sixth inning. Tahoka would keep the game alive with two runs in the top of the seventh to force extra innings and they struck for four runs in the top of the eighth to take down the Hornets, 9-5, in game one.
Freshman, Cal Carter, pitched six innings for the Hornets, giving up five hits, three walks and five runs, four earned, while recording 10 strike outs. Caleb Groetken pitched 2.1 innings giving up one walk, three hits and four runs, while recording two strike outs and Jesus Salas pitched 0.1 innings.
In game two Saturday morning, Sudan jumped out to an early lead, scratching four runs across in the top of the first and two in the top of the second to take a, six-run lead in the top of the third.
The Hornets added a run in the top of the third, but Tahoka would break through, pushing three runs across in the home-half of the inning to cut the lead to, 7-3. Both teams went scoreless through the fourth inning and they each added two runs in the fifth to make the score, 9-5, going into the sixth inning.
Tahoka kept the Hornets off the board in the sixth and added three runs of their own to slice the lead to, 9-7. Both teams would added two runs in the seventh, as Sudan hung on for the, 11-10, victory to force game three.
Groetken started on the mound, pitching four innings, giving up three walks, two hits and four runs, two earned, while recording four strike outs. Jesus Salas came on in relief and threw one inning, giving up five hits, two walks and four runs, three earned, while recording three strike outs, and Derek Rosa pitched two innings, giving up two hits, one walk and two runs, while recording two strikeouts.
At the plate the Hornets recorded seven hits as a team, led by Carter, who finished with two RBI’s and one hit. Marcello King tallied one RBI, one hit for a triple and one walk, while Eric Rosa contributed one RBI, a hit for a double and one walk and Jaibryn Ornelas added two hits and a walk. Trent Wilson finished with four walks in the contest.