BY BRITTNI MCCOY
MOUNTAIN CITIZEN
INEZ — Martin County Middle School battled through a tight contest but fell just short in a 3-2 loss to Lawrence County on April 30 in Inez.
The Cardinals set the tone early on defense. With Lawrence County threatening in the top of the first, Jonah Mills came up big at third, fielding a ground ball and firing a strike across the diamond to end the inning with runners stranded at second and third.
Martin County went down in order in the bottom half, and Lawrence County broke through in the second to take a 1-0 lead.
The Cardinals responded defensively to limit further damage. Mayson Phillips tracked down a pop-up along the first-base line for the first out, and catcher Beckham Spaulding cut down a runner attempting to steal second with a throw to Brock Fields. Blaine Williams then secured the third out with a high ball catch in center field.
The Cardinals answered in the bottom of the second. Ryder Little led off by driving the second pitch he saw over the right fielder’s head for a triple. Rylie Damron later worked a walk and aggressively advanced, helping Little score on an errant throw to third to tie the game at 1-1 before the inning ended on a strikeout.
Lawrence County threatened again in the third, but Martin County held firm. Kooper Sturgill recorded a strikeout for the second out, and Williams again made the play in center field to keep the score tied.
Martin County grabbed the lead in the bottom half. Spaulding opened the inning with a hard single past shortstop and stole second. He later came around to score on a ball put in play by Williams, giving the Cardinals a 2-1 advantage. The inning ended with Martin County caught in a rundown between second and third.
Lawrence County answered in the next frame, plating two runs to reclaim a 3-2 lead.
The Cardinals had one last chance in the bottom of the fifth. Martin County pushed a runner around and made a bid to tie the game, but the potential tying run was thrown out at the plate to end the contest.
Sturgill recorded a hit for the Cards. Williams recorded an RBI. Little belted out a triple bagger and made his way to home. Drew Wilson slapped a single. Damron drew a walk and Spaulding collected a hit and a run scored.