H.S. baseball: Phoenix rally to stun Greyhounds

Spruce Mountain’s Logan Moffett is tagged out at home plate by Lisbon’s catcher Noah Austin during Friday afternoon’s baseball game in Livermore. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)

LIVERMORE FALLS — In Friday’s rapidly moving pitchers’ duel, it only seemed fitting that a lead would evaporate in an instant.

Spruce Mountain rallied for three runs in the sixth, with Nick Lombardi delivering the game-winning two-run triple, and sophomore pitcher Bryson Bailey tossed a complete-game three-hitter to give the Phoenix an important 4-2 victory over Lisbon.

“This was a very big win, for confidence, for everything,” Bailey said. “That hit Nick Lombardi had was awesome.”

“This is our fifth win in a row,” said Spruce Mountain coach Brian Dube, whose team improved to 7-4 and collected some much-needed Heal points. “We’ve been playing better defense, and it’s showing, obviously. We got a couple of key hits when we needed them today. Both pitchers threw well.”

Bailey and Lisbon starter Lucas Francis, who also went the distance, worked quickly and efficiently throughout.

Francis scored the game’s first run in the fourth on Jonah Sautter’s two-out single. Francis gave himself an insurance run in the fifth with a ground ball to short that scored Noah Austin.

Spruce Mountain cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the fifth when Noah Gilbert hit an opposite-field double to left, just past a diving Cole Bolduc, to score Shane Pelletier.

With one out, the Phoenix had a chance to tie or take the lead with runners at second and third.

Mason Shink’s grounder eluded Francis as he dove off the mound, while Logan Moffett, the lead runner, held at third.

As shortstop DJ Douglass fielded the ball and threw Shink out at first, Gilbert, running from second, had nearly reached third, so Moffett had no choice but to go home. First baseman Sean Scott’s throw home arrived in plenty of time for Austin to tag him out at the plate and end the inning with Lisbon still leading.

“I was going to have (Moffett) go because their middle infielders were back,” Dube said. “But I thought the pitcher was going to get it, so I held the runner at third. Next thing we know, (Gilbert) was running up his back, so Moffett actually did the right thing. He was in a situation where he had to do something, and they made the play.”

Jordy Daigle started the game-winning rally with a one-out single. Hunter Dalton followed with a tailor-made double-play grounder which the second baseman bobbled, putting two men on.

Lombardi followed and went the other way with Francis’ first pitch. Right fielder Brandon Keith-Williams dove but couldn’t reach it. Daigle and Dalton scored easily to make it 4-2.

“We made too many mistakes in the field and didn’t hit the ball,” said Lisbon coach Randy Ridley, whose team committed three errors. “Lucas pitched the game he was supposed to pitch. The defense didn’t help him. (Bailey) kept us off-balance. I think we had a ton of fly balls and just didn’t hit the ball like we should.”

Bailey ended the game with his third 1-2-3 inning. In the game, he struck out three and walked three. One of the runs he gave up was earned.

“I had good off-speed stuff and the fielders made their plays,” Bailey said.

“He got a big win for us up to Mountain Valley (14-5 on May 8) and I decided to roll the dice today and give him the ball again,” Dube said. “The kid just impresses me. There isn’t much change in speed, but he’s got a little knuckler and he just gets it done.”

Lisbon pitcher, Lucas Francis fires the ball at Spruce Mountain’s Noah Gilbert during a baseball game in Livermore on Friday afternoon. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)

Spruce Mountain’s Nick Lombardi reacts from third base after his team takes the lead in Friday afternoon’s baseball game in Livermore. (Andree Kehn/Sun Journal)