Baseball: Afton falls short to Deposit-Hancock in the MAC Championship
The Afton Crimson Knights baseball team put up a good fight after being down 4-0 to halfway through the game. Afton tied it in the sixth inning, which sent the game into extras, but Deposit-Hancock won in the ninth inning 6-5 in the MAC championship game. (Photo by Morgan Golliver)
SIDNEY -–The Afton Crimson Knights, who were riding high on a 11-game win streak, had one of their biggest challenges of the season with the MAC title on the line. They faced off against defending sectional and MAC champions Deposit-Hancock. Afton won a close 3-2 affair in their last meeting, but the Crimson Knights could not come back in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Eagles claimed their fourth straight MAC title with a 6-5 victory at Sidney High School.
After two scoreless innings, Deposit-Hancock scored two runs in the third and two in the fourth to give them an early 4-0 lead. Afton added one in the fifth off an RBI single from Carter Burns, who has been hot at the plate lately. With that focus in mind, Afton kept the Eagles quiet and the offense was able to tie up the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-out rally. Matt Carman hit a two-out, two-run double and Burns tied up the game at four with his second RBI of the night.
With the game still tied up at four after seven innings, the contest went into extra innings with both teams putting on a show for the crowd. Deposit-Hancock added the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly. Afton, again with two outs, got Carman on with a full-count walk before he stole second and scored on Justin Reeve's RBI single to left field. The Eagles plated the game-winning run on an error and Afton went down in the bottom of the ninth.
Justin Reeve started the game on the mound and went three innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits, three walks, and struck out six batters. Braydon Baciuska went the distance with finishing the game. Baciuska was solid through six, allowing three runs, one earned run, on six hits, one walk, and had three strikeouts. Afton also had help from Ryan Wright in center field, who snagged down a runner who was trying to get to third base. Wright and third baseman Cooper Warren made a great play and the defense held their own to stay in the game.
"After being down 4-0, these boys came back to take game into extra innings. We just came up a little short," Coach Robert Bronson said. "These young men came to play and it showed, This loss has given us more heart and drive to be stronger with sectionals just around the corner."
Afton (13-3) will play one more game against non-league opponent Chenango Forks on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. before Class D sectionals, where they could face the Eagles again in the later rounds.
Box Score: R H E
DH:
0-0-2-2-0-0-0-1-1 6 9 1
AF:
0-0-0-0-1-3-0-1-0 5 9 3
After two scoreless innings, Deposit-Hancock scored two runs in the third and two in the fourth to give them an early 4-0 lead. Afton added one in the fifth off an RBI single from Carter Burns, who has been hot at the plate lately. With that focus in mind, Afton kept the Eagles quiet and the offense was able to tie up the game in the bottom of the sixth inning with a two-out rally. Matt Carman hit a two-out, two-run double and Burns tied up the game at four with his second RBI of the night.
With the game still tied up at four after seven innings, the contest went into extra innings with both teams putting on a show for the crowd. Deposit-Hancock added the go-ahead run in the top of the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly. Afton, again with two outs, got Carman on with a full-count walk before he stole second and scored on Justin Reeve's RBI single to left field. The Eagles plated the game-winning run on an error and Afton went down in the bottom of the ninth.
Justin Reeve started the game on the mound and went three innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits, three walks, and struck out six batters. Braydon Baciuska went the distance with finishing the game. Baciuska was solid through six, allowing three runs, one earned run, on six hits, one walk, and had three strikeouts. Afton also had help from Ryan Wright in center field, who snagged down a runner who was trying to get to third base. Wright and third baseman Cooper Warren made a great play and the defense held their own to stay in the game.
"After being down 4-0, these boys came back to take game into extra innings. We just came up a little short," Coach Robert Bronson said. "These young men came to play and it showed, This loss has given us more heart and drive to be stronger with sectionals just around the corner."
Afton (13-3) will play one more game against non-league opponent Chenango Forks on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m. before Class D sectionals, where they could face the Eagles again in the later rounds.
Box Score: R H E
DH:
0-0-2-2-0-0-0-1-1 6 9 1
AF:
0-0-0-0-1-3-0-1-0 5 9 3
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