Raiders’ rally in 7th upends Potosi
BONNE TERRE – The North County Raiders kept their Large-School title hopes alive as they battled back again for a conference win to overtake the Potosi Trojans, 11-10, in walk-off fashion on Tuesday.
Trailing by three runs going into the bottom of the seventh, the Raiders filled the bases with one out on an intentional walk after they had scored on a Trojan error in an attempt to get a speeding Kolton Poorman at first.
Jayden Weible drove in a second run with a ground ball to short and the Trojans again filled the bases intentionally to set the stage for sophomore Drew Forney. Forney smoked a fast ball into the gap in right-center for a walk-off double to set off the home-team celebration.
The Raiders are 2-0 in the MAAA Large-School Conference after also beating Ste. Genevieve in come-from-behind fashion the week before.
Potosi (7-6 and 0-2 MAAA) jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Two North County errors and a pair of walks aided the Trojans as Austin Heflin drove in one run with a single and Noah Skaggs worked a ball-four count to drive in another.
North County starting pitcher Weible settled down for two 1-2-3 innings and the Raiders supplied him with three runs to tie the score after Poorman hit a two run shot over the left field fence in the third.
Doubles by Noah Skaggs and Jacob Nicholson regained the lead for Potosi in the top of the fourth. The Trojans added four more runs to their lead in the fifth to greet Poorman in relief, despite the Raiders’ infield turning a double play on the first two hitters.
Potosi loaded the bases, and their No. 9 hitter Brendan Hovis emptied them with a triple over the head of the rightfielder.
North County sent 10 batters to the plate in the sixth to score their first four-run inning, making it a one-run game at 8-7. Dylan Kater drove in two with a double, Weible sent home a runner on a ground ball and Briley Smith hit an RBI single to score the fourth run.
The Trojans went to the bullpen with Noah Skaggs leaving with a one-run lead, having given up seven runs on seven hits. Reliever Mike Washington took the loss for Potosi.
Potosi surged ahead again in the top of the seventh as they plated two runs on a North County error and an RBi single by Nicholson. Sean Pruneau came in to get the last out on a fly ball, and he would get the win after the Raiders’ rally in the bottom of the inning.
Nicholson led the Trojans’ offense, going 3-5 with a double. Jacobsen and Hovis were both 2-4 and Ethan Nixon finished 2-5.
Poorman was 2-3 with a home run for North County. Smith was also 2-3, and Forney finished 2-4 with his walk-off double and was also hit by a pitch. Five batters were hit by pitches in the game.
The Raiders (3-5) will host Central, 3-0 MAAA, on Thursday, and Potosi will host Jefferson on Wednesday.
Drew Forney (12) follows through on his walk-off double to right-center in the seventh inning for North County.
Briley Smith (6) slides in safely to second with a stolen base in the third inning as Potosi shortstop Noah Jacobsen (5) takes the throw.
North County’s Kolton Poorman is greeted by his teammates as he finishes out his home-run trot in the third inning. Poorman was 2-4 at the plate and was also the winning pitcher after taking the mound for the final three innings.
