It was the game-winning hit that almost didn’t happen and, under normal circumstances, would never have occurred.
Logan Lacoste’s grand slam with two out in the top of the fifth was the difference maker, and Coca-Cola held on for an 8-6 victory over Southern Sports in the McComb Dixie Youth Baseball 11-12-year-olds major league game Monday at Edgewood Park.
Lacoste belted a 2-2 offering into the trees beyond the left-field fence to propel Coca-Cola (17-1) to the win and help avenge the team’s only loss of the season.
Southern Sports (15-3) had beaten Coca-Cola 4-3 in a meeting earlier this season.
“Logan’s battled the last three games,” Coca-Cola head coach Keith Hughes said. “Six games ago, he was struggling. He was locking up on the fastball.
“Today,” Hughes added, “they hung it and he banged it.”
The home run also scored Dalton Reed, who singled to lead off the inning, along with Brantley Hughes and Ben Coney, who singled and was walked intentionally, respectively, with two out.
Lacoste’s game-winning slam was made more improbable by the fact that Coca-Cola played with only eight players. A handful of players were on summer vacation with their families and did not attend Monday’s game.
“That put us in a bit of a pickle,” Hughes said.
With only eight players on the field, Tyler Alexander was forced to alternate between third base and left field, playing the infield with runners on base and going to the outfield when the bases were empty.
The end of Monday’s game was a case of deja vu for Southern Sports head coach Guy Gatlin.
“That brought back a lot of memories from last year,” Gatlin said. “It happened early last season. We went from one strike away from winning to being down three runs in the blink of an eye.”
Coney pitched a complete game to earn the win. He allowed five hits, walked one intentionally and struck out 11.
Southern Sports took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Recardo McGhee led off with a double to deep center field, went to third on Steven Ginn’s infield single and scored on a Cory Lewis infield groundout.
Ginn, who stole second and went to third on Lewis’ grounder, tried to score on Stephen Holifield’s flyout to left. But Alexander fired a strike to Hughes at shortstop. He then relayed the throw home to catcher Reed, who applied the tag to complete the double play and end the inning.
Coney’s second inning on the mound was nearly flawless. He struck out the side, but the frame was tainted by Brison Matthews’ perfectly placed bunt single down the third-base line, a botched pickoff attempt and another throwing error that allowed Matthews to score for a 2-0 Southern Sports lead.
Coca-Cola trimmed the margin to 2-1 when Coney doubled to left-center field and scored on Lacoste’s single to center with two out in the third.
After trailing all game, Coca-Cola finally took the lead in the top of the fourth.
With one out, Tron Dillon legged out a bunt single and went to third on Ethan Williams’ double that became lodged in the right-field fence. Both runners scored on Hughes’ single to center to put Coca-Cola ahead 3-2.
After an intentional walk to Coney and an infield single by Lacoste loaded the bases, Hughes scored on a passed ball to make it 4-2.
Coca-Cola’s lead, however, did not last long. Southern Sports answered with a three-run fourth inning of its own.
Ginn opened the bottom half of the inning with a double to deep right field. After Lewis walked, Ginn scored when Holifield’s fly ball to center was dropped for a two-base error.
A wild pitch allowed Lewis to score the tying run and sent Holifield to third. Holifield scored on Matthews’ two-out infield single to put Southern Sports in front 5-4.
After Lacoste’s grand slam, Southern Sports attempted one more comeback in the bottom of the fifth.
After Coney struck out the first two hitters, McGhee reached on a fielding error, went to second on a passed ball, stole third base and scored on Ginn’s RBI single to center.
Following an intentional walk to Lewis, the two base runners pulled off a double steal to put the potential tying run in scoring position. But Coney struck out the final batter to preserve the win.
