A key mistake by the Brandon varsity baseball team ruined a valiant pitching effort by senior Derek Foyt and ultimately led to the Blackhawks? downfall.
In the Blackhawks? May 31 district game against Orchard Lake St. Mary’s, the Eaglets broke open a 1-1 game with five runs in the top of the eighth inning, earning a 6-2 win.
Brandon finished their year with a 15-19 record.
The game was tied at one after seven innings, but St. Mary’s scored their only run during that time span on a Brandon error in the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead. The Blackhawks tied the game with a run in the sixth.
‘Errors have been our downfall all year,? Wagner said. ‘That was a crucial situation.?
That was the only blemish against Foyt in the first seven innings, as he allowed only two hits to the Eaglets.
However, he allowed a walk, a single, and then a home run in the top of the eighth to give St. Mary’s a 4-1 lead. Foyt then allowed three more baserunners before being pulled for Andrew Harding, who allowed two more St. Mary’s runs.
‘It was a pitcher’s duel going into the eighth inning,? Wagner said. ‘It’s disappointing to see us go down like that. You hate to see a kid (Foyt) pitch his heart out and lose.?
Harding and Tony Kraydich each hit home runs in the loss for the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks split a May 28 doubleheader against Sault Ste. Marie, winning the opener 3-2 before losing the nightcap 14-13.
In the opener, Brandon took a 2-0 lead with two runs in the third inning, and added the winning run in the sixth inning, holding off the Blue Devils, who scored one run each in the fifth and seventh innings.
Foyt went 2-for-3 with an RBI in the Blackhawk win.
The second game was an offensive slugfest that wasn’t decided until extra innings, where Sault Ste. Marie scored a run in the eighth inning to pull out the win.
Kraydich, Matt Cinader, Matt Collier, and Andrew Hyde each had two hits for the Blackhawks.
The Blackhawks also lost a close contest against visiting Goodrich May 26, falling to the Martians 8-6.
Brandon took a 6-4 lead after the third inning, but the Martians came roaring back with four runs in the top of the seventh inning to pull out the win. Foyt went 3-for-4 with a run scored in the loss.