Two-out rally saves Leafs
Published 12:00 am Monday, July 29, 2002
Finally, everything went right for the Selma Cloverleafs. Well… almost everything.
Despite a paid crowd of only 53 people, the Leafs beat second-place Pensacola 4-3 in 10 innings.
Until the seventh inning, it looked like Selma would hold its slim 2-1 lead against the visiting Pelicans. Rather, Pensacola came back and scored two runs in the seventh to take a 3-2.
Selma utility man Brock Lowell kept the Cloverleafs in the game thanks to a timely homerun in the bottom of the eighth. His bomb knotted the game at 3-3 heading into the ninth.
Neither Pensacola in the top half of the inning, nor Selma in the bottom half, could break the tie. Even in the bottom of the 10th, it looked like there’d be more free baseball.
After Selma reliever Dennis Gomez held Pensacola scoreless in the top of the 10th, the Leafs’ Joe Whitmer singled to lead off the inning. But two batters, and two outs, later, Selma had to come up with something quick to avoid reaching deeper into their bullpen.
They did.
Catcher Kevin Bice singled and moved Whitmer to second. Still with two outs, Joe Colvin looped a single over the head of Pensacola’s second baseman.
Whitmer turned the wheels on and scored the winning run off the hit.
Selma, which avoided being swept by the Pelicans, evened their season record at 20-20. Pensacola dropped to 27-19.
Selma will play again at home at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they host Baton Rouge.