Springfield rallies to beat S. Range

By GREG GULAS

sports@vindy.com

NEW MIDDLETOWN

Jarrett Orbin’s two-out single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Springfield a 9-8 come-from-behind victory over South Range Saturday at the Tigers’ sports complex.

It was a battle of No. 1 seeds in the upcoming baseball tournament. South Range is the top seed in Division III while Springfield sits atop the Division IV field. Sectional semifinal begins Monday at sites of higher seeds.

“We had those last two outs and I put the team on my back,” Orbin said. “I credit the pitchers all game because they were keeping the ball low and I was just looking for a pitch that I could drive, especially down the line.

“I was looking for a fast ball, got it on the inside of the plate and was able to rip it.”

The Raiders (20-5) scored early and often, taking an 8-0 lead in the opening inning only to have the Tigers (21-2) chip away and cut the deficit to 8-4 in the fifth inning, forcing extra innings with a four-run rally in their final regulation at-bat.

After a scoreless eighth and ninth frame, which saw South Range load the bases yet fail to score in their half of the eighth, Springfield’s Clayton Nezbeth reached on an infield error in the 10th inning with one away.

Nezbeth advanced to third base on an infield hit by Drew Clark and after Clark took second on defensive indifference, Orbin capped the Tigers’ eight-run comeback with his second hit of the game and game-winning RBI.

Chris Thompson had two hits for the Tigers including a solo home run in the second inning and two-run double in the pivotal seventh inning. He also scored twice and added three RBIs while working a scoreless ninth inning when he struck out the side in order.

He said the Tigers are a team that never gives up, no matter the deficit.

“I was seeing the ball well and hitting my spots but had a great defense behind me when they put the ball in play,” Thompson said.

“A win like this says a lot about our team. We really emphasize not giving up, keeping our heads in the game and it paid off for us in the 10th inning.”

Mitch Seymour also laced a double in the Tigers’ four-run seventh inning.

“We’re peaking at the right time with the tournament set to begin on Monday, but still have some work to do especially with our hitting,” stated Seymour.

“We didn’t hit like we could have today, didn’t score as many as we hoped and can always work on our defense. We’ll just continue to work on making plays.”

The Raiders, who were riding a seven-game win streak entering the game, were 20-3 versus Division I and II teams.

They scored eight times in the opening inning on eight hits with the key blows a two-run double by Ben Rivera, two-run single by Brandon Mikos, two-run single by Josh Stear and run-scoring doubles off the bats of both Trey Pancake and Jared Bajerski.

South Range head coach Jim Hanek, who guided his team to the state championship last season, said no lead is safe especially against a team the caliber of the Tigers.

“We witnessed a team today that didn’t give up and a team that didn’t quit in Springfield,” Hanek said. “We went dead with the bats, jumping out to an 8-0 lead but couldn’t generate anything offensively after the first inning. No lead is safe.

“We’re excited about the tournament because it’s a whole new season for everyone.”

With the win, Tigers head coach Terry Dobson has now guided his team to an 11-1 home mark with three total runs — their three losses this season have come by one run each game — separating his team from an undefeated campaign.

“It’s one pitch and one at bat at a time,” Dobson said.

“Anytime you come back after being down by so much it’s a great feeling. We stayed focused and our pitching came through at the end when we needed it most.”