It was far from Columbia’s best effort.
But it was just good enough.
The Tigers built an 8-2 lead, then held on for dear life late to hand Bartram Trail its first loss of the season with a 10-8 victory at home Friday night. The game went from being on the verge of a blowout to a tight contest late as Columbia’s bullpen walked six guys and hit another while the defense committed four errors over the final three innings that allowed the Bears to claw back for six runs.
The Bears brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the seventh inning after reliever Max Schuler hit leadoff batter Max Wilkerson with a pitch before issuing a one-out walk to Colby Dean and then a single to Jonathan Bay that loaded the bases. Landon Tippie then grounded into a fielder’s choice to score Wilkerson, but shortly after that, Tippie was thrown out trying to steal second base to end the game.
While pitching and defense left a lot to be desired, the Tigers had one of their best nights offensively to bounce back from Thursday’s 4-3 loss to Bishop Snyder. Their 12 hits were a season high while their eight runs were the second most this year, only topped by the 12 they scored in Tuesday’s win over Santa Fe.
Columbia (3-3) did leave 12 runners on base though, as did Bartram Trail (3-1).
“We played probably as bad as we could possibly play and we pulled out a win. That’s a good thing,” Columbia coach Chris Howard said. “We walked too many people. Swung the bat better but we’re still struggling to get runners in once we get them on, but we’re getting better every day.”
The Bears pulled within 8-6 in the sixth inning when they scored two runs via a wild pitch from reliever Kyler Keen and an error. Keen then walked another batter to load the bases — one of his four walks in his 1 2/3 innings of relief — and it forced Howard to pull him in favor of Tucker Floyd with two outs.
Floyd got Moises Devine to hit a ground ball to the infield but Devine beat out to the throw for an infield single to score another run. However, Brinkley tried to score from second base but Schuler fired a throw from first base to home plate and catcher Casen Maddox tagged Brinkley out just in time to preserve an 8-7 lead and get the Tigers out of the inning.
Columbia then added two insurance runs in the bottom half of the frame, courtesy an error and a fielder’s choice by Trayce McKenzie, that proved to be pivotal in the seventh.
“That was very big, that was game changing,” Howard said of Schuler’s throw to Maddox. “And scoring the two runs there in the bottom of the sixth also put the icing on it.”
McKenzie pitched four innings in the start for Columbia and allowed only two unearned runs, which came in the first, on three hits and four walks while striking out five to pick up the win. Bartram Trail took an early 2-0 lead when right fielder Tison McCray dropped a fly ball that would’ve been the third out of the inning, which allowed one run to score before Bradley Davis hit an RBI double.
But McKenzie worked himself out of jams in the next three innings where the Bears left a runner on third in second, on second in the third, and on third and second in the fourth.
“He had a rough start but he kept us in the game,” Howard said. “He walked the first two batters in the game and then Tison drops the ball, but like I told him, if he doesn’t walk those first two guys maybe that doesn’t happen. It all works together.”
McCray would make up for it offensively though, going 3 for 3 in his first start of the season with a triple and two singles while scoring three runs. Howard was looking for a jolt in the lineup and opted to start McCray over Case Bennett.
It paid off, at least at the plate.
“He’s worked hard,” Howard said. “Hit hit the ball good all fall...Tison sparked us with the bat tonight.”
McCray led off the Tigers’ half of the second with a single before BTHS starting pitcher Croix DiBacco hit Goose Lord with a pitch and Casen Maddox singled, which set up a two-RBI double from Logan Brooks to tie the game. Colton Mote then gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead with an RBI single.
The Tigers loaded the bases again in the third to set up an RBI single for Maddox, which knocked DiBacco from the game after just two innings of work where he’d eventually be charged with six earned runs on eight hits and two walks with three strikeouts. The Bears turned to Logan Wells, who immediately gave up a a two-RBI single to Brooks to make it 6-2.
Brooks finished the night 2 for 3 and he also had a walk. They were the first two hits of the season for Brooks, who began the year 0 for 10.
“Finally. I told him this is a baseball so let’s hit it,” Howard said while holding a baseball postgame. “He deserves it. He’s a good kid. We felt like eventually that’s what he was gonna give us.”
McKenzie later capped off the third inning with an RBI single for a 7-2 lead, and Columbia then extended it to a six-run advantage in the fourth when McCray tripled before scoring on Lord’s RBI single. The Bears added two runs in the fifth thanks to a pair of bases-loaded walks from Keen before nearly rallying in the final two frames.
“We’re getting better,” Howard said. “I think it’s a good group. We played a really good team (Thursday) night. (Bratram Trail) was undefeated. Like I told them, we played probably as bad as we could possibly play and we pulled it out, so that’s a good sign.”
The Tigers are now off until Thursday when they’ll travel to Santa Fe for a 7 p.m. matchup.