BASEBALL: Riders rally past Lima Senior in extra innings

April 13, 2012

St. Marys' Austin James hit a game-winning double against Lima Senior on Thursday night. (Staff Photo/Brian Smith)

ST. MARYS — Austin James laced a two-run game-winning double to left in the eighth inning and the St. Marys Roughriders baseball team registered an 11-10 victory against Lima Senior in a non-league game played at K. C. Geiger Park on Thursday.

In the bottom of the eighth the Riders needed a run to tie and they started off well. With one out, Steven Paulus singled to left and Jarrett Taylor walked. Austin James then launched a double to right to bring Paulus and Taylor home to win the game 11-10.

The game was tied at the end of seven innings sending the game to extra innings and the Spartans took advantage first with a run in the top of the eighth inning. Desmond Daniel reached on a hit batsman and went to second on a wild pitch. Following a single by Brady Allen, Daniel moved to third.

Allen stole second and Aaron Kellum drew a walk to load the bases. After a pop up for the first out, Dylan Keith drew a walk that forced home Daniel to give Lima Senior a 10-9 lead.

Lima Senior put the Riders behind the eight ball in the first inning with a pair of runs.

The Riders answered in the bottom of the first with four runs. D. J. Manning led off with a double and scored on a single by Kaloob Dodson. Nick Vogel drew a walk and Michael Huber reached on an error to score Dodson. With one out, Tyler Roby walked and Vogel and Roby came home on wild pitches to give the Riders a 4-2 lead.

The lead didn’t last very long as the Spartans tied the game in the second inning.

Once again the Riders bounced back with a run in the second inning on a triple by Vogel and a double by Huber and they scored three more runs in the third inning.  Roby led off with a single and went to second on a balk and scored on a double by Adam Neal. Seth Fitzgerald drew a walk and Neal scored on a single by Manning. Fitzgerald scored the eight Rider run on a single by Vogel.

In the game Vogel was 3 for 4 with three runs scored.

Lima Senior made the score 8-7 with a pair of runs in the fourth inning. The Riders gained a 9-7 lead in the fifth inning, but the Spartans tied the game with a pair of runs in the sixth inning.

The Riders (8-4) get back into WBL action when they host Elida today at 5 p.m.