PIKEVILLE — Junior catcher Ty Back blasted a home run to lead off the bottom of the eighth inning and give East Carter a 3-2 win over Lawrence County Saturday afternoon to even the Semi-State 8 series at one game each.
With an overflow crowd watched the action on as Back hit a titanic shot just left of the 360-foot centerfield wall to end the game and force a decisive third game at 6 p.m. Saturday.
“That’s just perfect,” Back said after the celebration. “It’s exactly what I went to the plate to do.”
“He bailed me out there,” said East Carter coach Jeremiah Shearer, eluding to a delayed pitching change that led to Lawrence County tying the game with two outs in the seventh. “He’s a great player. His power has been down but his average is up. He got his pitch and drove it.”
The homer was only the second of the season for the cleanup hitter.
From the other dugout, there was no doubt.
“He hits cleanup for a reason,” said Lawrence County Coach Travis Feltner. “He got a fastball up and took advantage of it.”
The blast ended a classic game that looked for a long time like an East Carter (21-14) shutout. The Raiders scored single runs in the second and sixth, both coming on RBI singles off the bat of No. 7 hitter Tanner Ashworth.
The first single plated designated hitter Tyler Baier, who had walked, and ended a string of 27 consecutive scoreless innings for the Bulldogs dating back to the final inning of the 57th District championship game.
In the sixth, Ashworth’s single to left scored Back, who had led off the inning with a single and moved to third on a walk and sacrifice.
“The kid stepped up for us in the clutch,” said Shearer. “I wouldn’t want anybody else up there in that situation.”
Lawrence (22-15) was scoreless with two outs in the top of the seventh before rallying off starter Tyler Clay.
Centerfielder Nick Hackney reached on an infield error to start the inning. Two outs later, catcher Jordan Miller singled off the wall in straightaway center, with Hackney scoring all the way from first. Back-to-back singles by reliever Tate Banks and right fielder Sam Burton scored Miller to tie the game.
After Burton’s hit, Shearer brought in Derek Stapleton, who recorded a strikeout to end the inning.
The Raiders went quietly in the seventh to send the game to extra innings. Lawrence got a two-out ground-rule double off the bat of Hackney but, after first-baseman Shane Pack walked, Stapleton coaxed a ground out off the bat of Chandler Shepherd to set up Back’s heroics.
Stapleton, who lost Tuesday’s opener of the series, got the win. He recorded three strikeouts in one and 1/3 innings of relief. Banks went two innings of relief to take the loss for Lawrence. He had allowed only one hit and struck out two before Back’s home run.
The starting pitching was sensational as well. Clay went 6-2/3 for the Raiders, striking out six, walking three and allowing two unearned runs. Cody Moore went five-plus for the Bulldogs, allowing two runs on six hits while striking out four and walking two.
LAWRENCE CO. 000 000 20 – 2 9 0
EAST CARTER 010 001 01 – 3 8 2
Cody Moore, Tate Banks (6) and Jordan Miller. Tyler Clay, Derek Stapleton (7) and Ty Back. WP – Stapleton. LP – Banks. 2B – Shane Pack (LC), Derek Stapleton (EC), Tyler Clay (EC), Nick Hackney (LC). 3B – Tyler Jackson (EC). HR – Ty Back (LC).
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