7th inning rally enough for T-Birds
Aaron Webster
The Mesa Thunderbirds’ bats were about as cold as the wind chill for the first six innings as they played host to the South Mountain Cougars Wednesday afternoon.
The Cougars on the other hand, were seeing the baseball as large as a giant beach ball as they put runs on the board every inning it seemed.
Going into the bottom half of the seventh, with the score 6-2 in favor of the Cougars, the mood had changed for the T-Birds.
The Mesa players had put a little more pep in their step. It was time for a rally.
Eddie Malone Jr. led off the inning with a four-pitch walk. Steven Swingle followed that with single to right-center field.
Alex Walker was beaned in the head by a fast ball, which loaded the bases for Zack Nothwehr. A South Mountain wild pitch scored Malone Jr. putting the score at 6-3. Nothwehr eventually walked, loading the bases for Kevin Carr who was hit on his right forearm, bringing in another run for the T-Birds.
With the score now at 6-4, Michael Wesolowski stepped to the plate and rode the west to east moving wind down the right field line for a perfectly placed double to score two more runs and tie the game at six.
Nick Johnson brought home the fifth run of the inning by hitting a beautiful sac-fly to right field, capping the rally and putting the T-Birds ahead 7-6.
Mesa put two more runs on the board and held on for the victory, 9-8.
