Tuesday, April 26, 2017, Shelbyville Dragons Baseball Park -
The visiting Gary Bobcats varsity baseball team edged out the Shelbyville Dragons, by a narrow 1-0 score, in 8-innings, last Tuesday night. The win forced a tie-breaker game, at 6 p.m. on Friday, April 28, at Gary High Schools’ Bobcats Ballpark to determine who enters the bi-district playoffs as third place representative in District 23-2A baseball. Both teams have already earned a third or fourth place seeding in the post-season.
Gary's win also locked Joaquin into second place after they beat Tenaha, 13-0, in their district finale.
Neither, Shelbyville or Gary hit safely until the Dragons got a lead-off single in the bottom of the third inning. Bobcat pitcher Cason Daniels was able to strike out the next batter and the GHS defense got the second and third outs by retiring the next two batters out on pop-ups.
With two outs in the inning, Gary got their first and only hit, in the top of the seventh inning, when Collin Coleman singled to leftfield. He stretched his hit to third base when the baseball got behind the Dragons’ outfielder. Shelbyville starting pitcher Kolby Parker avoided a Bobcats score by striking out the next GHS batter in three pitches.
Gary shut down the Dragons in 1-2-3 fashion in the bottom of the seventh inning. The game went into overtime and Cole Ferguson took over pitching duties for the Dragons. The Dragons walked Ethan Askins to start the eighth frame. Ferguson then struck out Landon Odom, however during Odom’s at-bat, pinch-runner Holden Ritter was able to advance to third base, on a passed-ball and a steal. Ritter later scored the game’s only run by advancing home on a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Storm.
Cole Ferguson drilled a base hit up the middle with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning but Landon Odom was able to strike out the next Dragons batter to end the final inning, and give Gary the narrow 1-0 win.
Gary pitchers teamed up for 12 strikeouts and allowed four walks while Dragons pitchers teamed up for 14 strikeouts and gave up five free bases.
