Big Red walks-it-off against Edison
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STEUBENVILLE -- It was late-inning magic, part II at the Crimson Complex in Steubenville.
But unlike Monday night, when the Big Red softball team hit a walk-off winner in the seventh inning, this time, the heroics were needed by the boys on the baseball team.
Tuesday, it was Cal Beadling who came up with the big walk-off hit in the seventh as Steubenville came back against Edison, 6-5, after leading the majority of game.
Beadling faced off against Cole Pittman, stepping to the plate with the bases juiced, one out, and, at minimum, an assured extra innings as a bases loaded walk drawn by Matthew Fabbro evened the score at 5-5.
Beadling ripped a 3-1 pitch up the middle to score Hayden Hicks from third for the winning run. Beadling gave a little fist pump en route to first base in celebration, giving the Red their seventh win in nine tries heading into today's cross-river rivalry matchup with Weir on the Red Riders' home diamond.
The walk off fashion was not the only similarity between Monday's softball game and Tuesday's baseball contest.
The normally solid Big Red defense committed three errors in the field, allowing the Wildcats (4-6) to come from three down at 4-1 to not only tie, but take the lead in the sixth.
Steubenville also left some runners on the base path in the second inning.
Big Red did push three across in the second to take an early 4-1 lead, but the damage could have been so much more.
After Hicks singled to start the inning, a line drive to short resulted in out No. 1. Brody Saccocia followed with a line drive to center, giving Big Red runners at first and third.
Fabro walked to load the bases with one out, but Edison's Brady Haught got Beadling to pop out to second.
Two down, Haught battled through some momentary control issues, walking in three straight runs before getting Nolan Blackburn to fly out to end the inning.
Edison coach Mike Collopy came out and talked briefly with his hurler, but opted to keep Haught in the game. Three runs was far from ideal, but given the opportunity, the Wildcats exited the inning relatively unscathed by comparison.
Haught rewarded Collopy's confidence by pitching three innings of shutout ball before yielding to Liam Watson in the sixth.
Edison finally found some success of Big Red starter Aydan Manning in the fifth, with Kyle Long driving a line drive RBI base hit to right and Bryce Rogers' sac fly to center two batters later scoring Long.
Manning up until that point had kept Edison at bay, working the inside portion of the plate to keep Wildcats' hitters off balance. He finished with six strikeouts against two walks, but in working the inside corner, also recorded three hit batsmen.
Big Red battled through its own "it could have been far worse" moment an inning later in the sixth.
After beaning Evan Kimmerle to start the inning, Kayden Russell's bunt saw Manning go to second for the first for out No. 1.
After a walk, Chase Freeman successfully dropped down a bunt single to load the bases.
Fabro came on in relief of manning and induced a ground ball that resulted in an error, allowing two runs to score.
Long then singled and Nolan Haught was hit by a pitch, loading the bases again with two outs.
But Fabro got Rogers to fly out for the final out to end what could have been a big inning for the visitors.
Lovato drove in two runs for Steubenville. All 16 hits in the game were singles.
Steubenville 6, Edison 5
Edison 010 022 0 - 5 6 0
Steubenville 130 000 2 - 6 10 3
E - Haught (2SO, 7W), Watson (6) (1SO, 0W), Pittman (7) lp (0SO, 1W) and Henderson. Pittman rbi; Long 3S, rbi; Rogers rbi; Russell S, rbi; Freeman 2S, rbi.
S - Manning (6SO, 2W), Fabbro (6) wp (0SO, 0W) and Simmons. Beadling 2S, rbi; Reese S, rbi; Manning S, rbi; Lovato S, 2rbi; Hicks 2S, Saccoccia 2S.