Columbia rallies by Bertie
Published 12:15 pm Monday, April 25, 2011
WINDSOR – Three runs in the third helped Columbia High School rally past Bertie here Saturday.
The Wildcats trailed 1-0 before the three-run outburst and came back for a 10-3 victory in pool play of the Bertie Easter Tournament.
The Falcons opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the first frame.
Adam Cowand singled, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. He then came around to score on a Joseph Eure RBI-single to left.
After a scoreless second stanza, Columbia put across three marks in the top of the third inning to take a lead they would never relinquish.
Bertie bounced back for a run in the home half of the inning.
Cowand singled to center and stole second. He took third on a sacrifice by Devonte Holley and scored on a sacrifice fly by Eure as Bertie closed the gap to 3-2.
In the bottom of the fourth, Javier Pagola singled on the infield before Allen Speller drew a walk. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, but a pop out ended the inning.
The Wildcats added four runs in the top of the fifth frame to take a 7-2 lead. They added three more in the top of the seventh as they took a 10-2 advantage.
The Falcons scored for the final time in the seventh.
Holley singled to right and Eure reached on a fielder’s choice that erased Holley. Matthew Hoggard was then hit by a pitch.
Eure and Hoggard pulled a double steal to put runners on second and third. Eure came home on a Chris Mizelle RBI-single.
Mizelle then stole second before Pagola walked to load the bases. A ground out, however, ended the contest.
Bertie had nine hits in the game led by Eure, Cowan and Pagola, who had two hits each.
Later in the day, the Falcons dropped a 19-2 decision to Plymouth High School. The Vikings also beat Columbia (17-2) as they advanced to tonight’s (Tuesday) championship game at 7 p.m.
The Falcons will play in the fifth place game at 1 p.m. and Columbia will play at 4 p.m. in the third place contest.