BASEBALL: Falcons fight off Carrier Mills 8-7
</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[After coughing up a five-run lead, Elverado had to fight for an 8-7 walk-off win over Carrier Mills on Monday as Brian McClanahan's bases-loaded walk during a light rain brought Ethan Keller home for the go-ahead run.
"Conditions weren't very favorable for pitchers, so we might have caught a break in the last half-inning there," said EHS head baseball coach Tim Davis, "but we did a good job."
"It started with Ethan Keller's walk and Wade (Bowlin) couldn't get the bunt down but he came through with a big hit. Brian (McClanahan) had a good at-bat, and that's what you've got to do."
Weather had threatened to delay action already in the game, but even if play had ended when the rain picked up during McClanahan's at-bat, the Falcons still would have won 7-6 - the score after the last completed inning.
"It was close all the way," Davis said. "We quit scoring, that's the bottom line. We quit scoring after the first inning, but we found a way to come back and win."
The Falcons jumped on the board with five runs in the first inning on five hits. Bowlin, Christian Kistner, Troy Stewart and Dalton Porter all singled and Eli Fennell brought in two runs with a double.
Bryce Mathis got the start for Elverado on the mound and pitched his way out of trouble in each of the first three innings before his defense, and his control, let him down in the fourth. Two errors, a hit batter and a walk led to three runs for the Wildcats without a base hit in the inning.
The Falcons made it 6-3 after the bottom of the fifth when Kistner singled and scored on an RBI from McClanahan, who was officially 0-for-1 at the plate but drove in three runs.
Carrier Mills rallied in the top of the sixth as two errors led to Mathis getting lifted for Keller, who struggled in allowing seven hits over the next inning. The Wildcats tied it up in the sixth, and again in the seventh after Porter tripled and scored on Fennell's sacrifice fly in the bottom sixth for Elverado.
Keller walked to lead off a 7-7 game in the bottom of the seventh, then Bowlin singled before Kistner walked to load the sacks with no outs. McClanahan worked a full count before drawing the free pass that won the game.
Fennell was in for the final two outs of the top of the seventh and earned the victory.
"He's pitched well all year, there's no doubt he's our ace," said Davis. "I probably should have brought him in a little bit earlier, but Ethan (Keller) needs to learn to work out of jams like that. There's no doubt, Eli came in and gave us a big lift."
Mathis went six and a third, allowed five hits, three walks and one hit batsmen while striking out four.
Four Falcons had two hits in the game: Bowlin (2-4, R, RBI), Kistner (2-3, BB, R), Porter (2-3, 3B, 2 R, RBI) and Fennell (2-2, 2B, SAC, 3 RBI). Keller (1-2, 2 BB, 2 R) and Stewart (1-3, R) also hit safely.
Elverado (12-15) has two regular season games remaining. The Falcons are at Fairfield on Tuesday and Cobden on Wednesday with Regional action starting on Monday afternoon when EHS takes on Steeleville in Dowell.
"I think we've still got some work to do," Davis said. "We've got some off-days coming up to get out and hit here at the field and do a better job as far as being better hitters, situational hitters especially. Pitching wise, defensively, I think we've played well."
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