Leopards hold on in cliffhanger, 5-4

A calm thing can turn dramatic. Liberty-Eylau, who led 4-0 for five innings, won a nail-biter against Paris, 5-4, on Leopard Field at H.E. Markham Park on Friday.

“I thought the kids played hard,” Leopard head coach Zach Fowler said. “They knew that if they lost tonight, they would be out of the playoffs. I think we could’ve been better offensively.”

It was Senior Night for the Leopards, who totaled four hits.

With the scored knotted at 4-all going into the bottom of the seventh, Marzavin Riles hit a single up the middle. Riles stole second and third base and scored the winning run on a Wildcat wild pitch.

Riles sped to his right and caught a fly ball that looked like it would drop for a Wildcat hit to help save the game in the seventh. The catch was the third out and there was a Paris runner on second who would have scored if the ball fell into play.

Paris got a run across in the sixth on a Leopard throwing error and tied it up at 4-all with two outs in the seventh on a 3-run double by Zack Norris.

Starting pitcher, senior Cutter Webb threw 6 2-3 innings, scattered six hits, walked three, struck out four, and gave up three earned runs. Relief pitcher, senior Bryan Moore got the win.

“Cutter has been spectacular,” Fowler said. “He did a great job on Senior Night.”

Webb was hit in the wrist by a pitch,

and Colton Robinson came in to run for him in the second. Robinson stole second and advanced to third on Tre Hodge’s single to right field. Hodge stole second base, and Robinson scored on the next pitch, which was wild to give L-E a 1-0 lead.

Ben Witterstaetter walked and Riles was hit by a pitch to juice the bases.

Blake Carter hit a hot roller to the short stop, and three runs scored when the throw sailed wide of first to give the Leopards a 4-0 lead.

Hodge hit a roller deep into the hole at short and beat the throw for a single with two outs in the third. Hodge stole second but was left stranded when the next batter struck out looking.

Ethan Brooks singled to left center in the fifth with an out but was left stranded.

Liberty-Eylau seniors Cody Allen, Colton Robinson, Hodge, Luke Walker, Webb, Hayden Turner, and Bryan Moore were honored before the game.