ROCKETS NEED EVERY RUN THEY GOT
STRUTHERS OH- Lowellville walked it off in wild fashion Friday night, edging out Garfield 13-12 in a back-and-forth slugfest that ended with a bang off the bat of Geno Perry.
With the game knotted at 12 in the bottom of the seventh, Perry stepped in and roped a double to bring home the winning run and cap off a game loaded with fireworks. The Rockets racked up 13 hits and drew 10 walks, while Garfield piled up 15 hits of their own in a game where no lead was safe.
Garfield came out swinging, scoring four runs in the first two innings behind RBI knocks from Jack Neikirk, Carson Norton, and Brandyn Bogucki. But Lowellville quickly countered, tying things up in the second thanks to Perry’s double and a clutch single from Zak Sargent.
The Quakers kept pushing, with Tyler Lutz doubling home a run in the third to make it 6-4, but the Rockets answered big in the fourth. Liam Bartlett doubled in two, Nick Likens and Braylon Bolger each worked bases-loaded walks, and just like that, Lowellville jumped ahead 8-7.
That lead didn’t last long either. Garfield put up three more in the fifth with a flurry of singles from Nate Bacskowski, Aidan Hill, and Garet Warnick. But again, Lowellville had an answer. Bartlett came through again with an RBI double, and Anthony Kacir delivered a two-run single to put the Rockets back on top 11-10.
Garfield forced extras with a late surge in the seventh—Bacskowski doubled and Warnick drove him in—but it only delayed the inevitable.
Sargent closed things out strong on the hill with a shutout inning before Perry delivered the knockout punch in the home half.
Bartlett, Perry, and Sargent all had three-hit nights for the Rockets. Bartlett and Perry also led the way with three RBIs each. Likens swiped three bags as part of a nine-steal day for Lowellville, who also turned a double play on defense.
For Garfield, Hill led the charge with a 3-for-4 line and three RBIs. Bogucki, Bacskowski, and Hill each had three hits, and the team walked seven times and stole seven bags. Despite the loss, they were sharp in the field with no errors and a double play turned. The Rockets will try to ride the momentum into Monday when they host McDonald.
