Everything was set up for the Greenbrier East Spartans baseball team to win one more game and claim the sectional championship after defeating the Oak Hill Red Devils 7-2 and sending them to the loser’s bracket.
However, on Friday, June 4 East was beaten by the Red Devils 9-6 and then totally shocked by them again on Saturday, June 5 as the East faithful were left wondering just what the heck happened.
With the two losses, the Spartans’ season came to an abrupt and surprising end.
In the first game, the Spartans led 6-2 heading into the sixth inning. With East down 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Jordan Mize blasted a 3-run home run to give the Spartans a 4-2 lead and all the momentum the air could stand.
That lead extended by two more in the fourth frame when Isiah Brooks scored on a passed ball and Mize drove in another run with a single.
But it was in the sixth inning that everything went bad.
Questionable calls on the base paths and bad luck in general for East gave all the mojo back to the Red Devils. Oak Hill scored three of their three runs in the frame on a fielder’s choice, a passed ball, and an error. The score was tied at 6-all heading into the seventh after East threatened at the plate in their half but left two critical runners on base.
The game went into extra innings when Oak Hill scored three runs in the eighth to put the game away.
Again, the Spartans threatened in the bottom, but a well-hit ball by Boswell was right at the center fielder and Oak Hill held on for the upset.
Mize went 2-4 with a homer and four runs driven in.
East trailed in game two 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning but scored two to tie it up when Boswell scored on tag-up play and Logan Carr knocked Mize in across home plate.
But Oak Hill’s Zac Wolfe scored on an error in the top of the seventh and the Spartan offense could not muster a rally at the end and East left the field in shock with their second loss in as many days.
East ended the year at 18-6.
Complete season recap and 2022 look ahead coming soon.
