Late rally lifts Malvern past AA Lakeside
An out- of- the blue loss of control and a pair of key Malvern National Bank hits spoiled what had been a strong start by Lakeside's Bo Ritter.
Only one Malvern batter reached base in the first five innings of the Ryan White Memorial Wood Bat Tournament
before Ritter walked eight- and nine- hole batters Zac Leming and Devin Carpenter to start the sixth. Leming scored on a one- out error, and Logan Wright and Drew Williams each drove in two runs with singles in the inning as Malvern rallied for a 5- 3 win in an American Legion Class AA matchup Friday.
The season- opening, poolplay tournament continued with Lakeside's Junior team playing Clarksville's AA squad in the Gold Pool opener. The AA Rams ( 0- 1), playing with three regulars from Lakeside's high- school team, face Malvern's Junior team at noon today. Lakeside High coach Andy Runyan said five vacationing 2013 seniors, and possibly a sixth, will join the squad after the tournament.
Ritter, a high- school regular in action along with shortstop Marcus Fisher and catcher Spencer Hecke, and six stolen bases appeared to be enough for the AA Rams until the sixth. Ritter had allowed only Colton Welch's two- out single in the fourth, and Lakeside led 2- 0 on a double steal, Hecke scoring from third as Jon Youngblood took second, and an unearned run. Fisher led off the fifth with a single, advanced on winner Ashton Holyfield's wild pitch and scored when third baseman Jake Golden threw wildly on Hecke's bunt.
Holyfield limited the damage from issuing five walks in the second and third innings and six overall. He allowed three hits, and struck out nine.
" He put runners on, but when he did he battled through it," Malvern coach Leighton Hardin said. " When they got hits nobody was on."
Lakeside gave itself a chance to overcome Malvern's five- run outburst. Ryan Crumpton reached on a bloop single leading off the bottom of the sixth, Aidan Watson reached on a one- out error and Ritter walked to load the bases. Crumpton scored on Fisher's sacrifice fly, but Watson was tagged out trying to get back to second after the throw home was cut off.
Welch relieved Holyfield in the seventh and retired the first two batters before Johnathan Barmore doubled down the right- field line. Welch hit Youngblood with an 0- 2 pitch, but got the last out on Ryan Crumpton's fly ball.
Ritter allowed three hits, three walks - all in the fifth - and struck out eight in six innings.
" He pitched a heck of a game," Hardin said. " Both pitchers were throwing great. ( Ritter) was pitching better. ... We just happened to get lucky when he walked two in the sixth."
Barmore pitched the seventh, allowing one hit. Both teams finished with four hits.
Malvern plays the Junior Rams at 5 p. m.
••• The tournament honors former Lakeside player and AA coach Ryan White, who helped the AA Rams win the 2003 state championship and coached the 2007 and 2008 AA state- title squads. After coaching one season at Senatobia, Miss., High School, White was killed in a February 2010 automobile accident.
White is the son of longtime Lakeside basketball coach Tommy White, who is scheduled to throw out the first pitch before Monday night's championship game.