March 24, 2009

'Yune rallies for 9-6 win over St Stanislaus

by Carey Meitzler

Picayune--Trailing 6-4 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Picayune scored five runs to rally past the St Stanislaus

Rockachaws and stayed unbeaten in Region 8-4A with a wild and crazy 9-6 win.

In the top of the second inning, the Rockachaws got a bases loaded walk from Trey Marino to force home Zander Romano

for a 1-0 lead. Picayune had base runners in the first three innings against Stanislaus pitcher Blaise Allen, but were unable to score.

In the bottom of the fourth, Evan Nichelson lead off the inning with a double to left center.  After a strikeout and a grounder, he

sat at third base with two outs.   Garrett Williams, who entered the game on defense in the top half of the inning, had a monumental

at bat for Picayune.  With two strikes, Williams fouled off five pitches before finally hitting a hard grounder to short stop that was

bobbled allowing Nichelson score and tie the game at 1-1.  Bryce Ladner followed a line drive home run over the left field wall

for a 3-1 lead.

St. Stanislaus roughed up starter Ladner  for four runs in the next frame by banging out five hits and two run scoring sacrifice

fly balls to lead 5-3. 

Picayune got a single run in the bottom of the fifth   Jared Bales started the inning with a single to center and was replaced by

courtesy runner James Dedeaux.  Dedeaux scored on Nichelson's fielder choice grounder to the third basemen who threw

wildly to second base with one out.

The Rockachaws scored a run in the sixth to lead 6-4.  In the inning, Ladner was replaced by Gill who was lifted for Jonathan

Hickman who surrendered a sacrifice fly to score the run.  Hickman got out of the inning by inducing a ground ball to Ladner

at short that started a 6-4-3 double play to Gill and Nichelson.

Picayune's Williams started the bottom of the sixth being hit by a pitch from Allen.  Ladner singled to the right field corner and

Williams scored on the play when the throw attempting to retire Ladner at second base bounced away.  Ladner ended up on

third base.  Riser was hit by a pitch and Bales was intentionally walked to load the bases.  Brandon Jurich bunted to the pitcher

Allen, but when he looked to throw to first base neither the first baseman or second baseman were covering the bag and everyone

was safe allowing Ladner to score making it 6-6.  Gill was hit by a pitch forcing in Riser making the score 7-6.  Nichelson hit into

a fielder's choice to short that was mishandled and allowed Dedeaux to score, however, Jurich rounded third base and was tagged

out at home and Gill was thrown out at third base for a strange double play.  Nichelson ended up on second base  and scored

on Braxton Lee's single to left field for a 9-6 lead.

Jared Bales worked the top of the seventh and struck out the side on eleven pitches to notch the save.  Hickman was the winning

pitcher by virtue of the Tide's sixth inning.

Picayune (11-1, 7-0) finished with just five hits against the Rockachaw's Allen, but Picayune was then beneficiary of six walks

and seven hit batsmen coupled with four Stanislaus errors.  Stanislaus, who suffered their first region loss, had nine hits in the game.

The two meet again on Friday in Bay St Louis, weather permitting, with JV action set for 5pm and Varsity at 7pm.