🍀 Triad Warriors Baseball Night -- Oak City Gliders @ Reidsville Luckies 🍀
Late game heroics, another improbable rally give Reidsville third consecutive win
REIDSVILLE, NC — Twenty-two hours after the Luckies delivered nine unanswered runs to come back and take down the Oak City Gliders, they did the same thing, just better, scoring ten runs straight to defeat the Gliders, eleven to seven.
The Luckies struggled immensely in the early goings. Catcher T.J. Highsmith was in the dirt often, and a plethora of bases were stolen, but things really took off for the Gliders in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Nicholas Morgan was relieved, but pitcher Brett Wargowsky would give up a two-RBI single, followed by home being stolen on an ill-advised chase for the first base runner. He would stop the bleeding with back-to-back strikeouts, but the damage was done, and Raleigh led, seven runs to one.
Highsmith headed to the plate in the bottom of the fourth, and would punch it over the left wall. The three batters after him followed suit, as Jacob Trivette, Gavin Grouppuso, and Justyn Steens would get on the bag. With the bases loaded, and a full count, Luke Roberts provided a two-RBI single. Steens then made it in on a sacrifice fly from Gavin Fleming, completely cancelling out the disastrous top of this inning with four runs of their own.
In the top of the fifth, bottom of the fifth, and top of the sixth, there wasn’t too much action. Rainclouds began to appear, wind began to blow, and Luckies fans were extremely nervous that the game would be called before Reidsville could make a comeback. Old North State League rules count a game as official if it makes it past the fourth inning, so, if lightning was seen, the Gliders would be given the victory.
While the Luckies were down, seven to five, Grouppuso got a single and a stolen base, and Steens was walked. Roberts launched a sacrifice fly to advance the runners, before Fleming would come up to bat. The former Lucky of the Game loaded the bases, and Opata would come to the plate.
Opata dished it out to right field, and both Grouppuso and Steens came in! Tie ball game! However, after the 6’2” righty’s big hit, Edwin Bowman got out for the fourth time of the night.
Travis Hammond, the regular leadoff hitter, subbed in for Ryne Rodrigues, with two outs, two men on base, and a seven to seven score. The exceptionally clutch Hammond whacked it to right field, and the Gliders couldn’t catch it! Fleming and Opata made it home, giving the Luckies a nine to seven advantage!
I then warned the umpire of the lightning, but he didn’t stop the game for us.
Highsmith then came up to bat. It seemed impossible that he would do it again, but the catcher blasted it far over the left wall! He had repeated the amazing master stroke, this time bringing his Southern Wesleyan teammate home with him!
Trivette got out, and after Oak City couldn’t put anything on the board, the umpire called off the game, as thunder would begin to boom. The Luckies had completed their second comeback against Oak City, scoring ten without any response, and climbing up the Central Division ladder.
Lucky of the Game: T.J. Highsmith — Highsmith, who hit a two-run home run earlier this season, went three-for-four with two homers and three runs. His first home run was a solo shot that kicked off the huge comeback, and the latter was a two-run homer that gave the Luckies some breathing room. It also pushed the game closer to the lightning that forced the game to be called. If not, the Gliders could have had some time to come back, and wouldn’t have had to compete with such urgency in the top of the seventh.
After the game, I caught up with the Greenville native to ask what was going through his mind both times he went up to the plate and sent it over the wall.
The audio is above.
Transcript:
“Hey, T.J., could you walk me through both of those home runs, which were very big?”
“First one, I was looking to get the team going. We were down a couple runs, and I just wanted a big hit to get us going. He gave me a fastball, I took a good swing on it. The second one, we had taken momentum, I was just trying to get us a little insurance runs, and he threw me my pitch, my zone, and I didn’t miss both of those.”
“That first one definitely worked to get the team back into it. You could tell that they were re-energized.”
“I feel like it was definitely a big spark, because, I think we put up a four-spot that inning, and it just helped the team get rolling offensively. That’s why that’s probably the best we’ve swung it in any of our games yet.”
“That was really good, you got the Lucky of the Game, and that last one kept the other team off the field. You got it closer to the thunder delay, so that was very nice.”
“Worked out, I was fortunate.”
“You got the crowd on their feet.”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you, thank you very much.”
Moment of the Game: Travis Hammond launches critical two-run homer for the lead — Hammond, the regular leadoff hitter for the Luckies, wasn’t in the game until the bottom of the sixth. He came in right after Opata’s two-RBI shot to right field, with a lot on the line. Hammond didn’t crumble under the pressure, as the ball connected with the Georgia native’s bat, glided into right field, and hit the green, allowing Fleming and Opata to race to home plate, virtually clinching the win.
Fun Events — The 8-U, 9-U, and 12-U teams of the Triad Warriors were honored. Highlights included each player getting to run onto the field and be introduced with the players by Joe Dexter, a three-way race around the bases, and one young player chasing another, who was dresses in a Luckies costume, around the diamond.
The concessions have been nice. Hotdogs, popcorn, gum, soda, Gatorade, and water is offered, along with Kona Ice. You won’t go hungry, or thirsty, at Jaycee Park.
Notes — Wow. Simply wow. If you haven’t been to a Luckies game, you are missing out. This game had my heart racing, and I still haven’t calmed down.
The clutchness of this group is going to pay off in the long run. Reidsville now sits at .500 overall after starting off with three losses straight. The Luckies are currently tied for third in the Central Division, just one-half of a game out of second place. The top two teams in every division advance to the playoffs, so, if the Luckies want to make it to the postseason, they simply need to continue winning these divisional bouts.
Upcoming — The Luckies will do battle with the Sandhills Bogeys in an away game tomorrow evening. That will certainly be a daunting task, as the Bogeys are the leaders of the division, have beaten the Luckies this season, and are the reigning ONSL Champions. Make sure to read tomorrow’s edition of “Extra Bases,” in which I will publish my interview with one of Reidsville’s team leaders, Kristian Amaro.
Catch tomorrow's edition of Luckies Ledger to hear my interview with Reidsville's star catcher, Kristian Amaro! Listen to him speak about how he came to love the game of baseball, what led him to the Luckies, and his plans for the future. Thanks!