Though Thursday started promising for the Lions, Lumberton used a big third inning to defeat Livingston 6-2 in Game 1 of the area round played at Big Sandy High.
Jerren James started the game by singling on the first pitch, then stealing second and was balked to third. Rudy Marquez hit a sacrifice grounder to shortstop, allowing James to score and Livingston went on top, 1-0.
In the bottom of the third, a single, hit by pitch and walk loaded the bags with no outs. An RBI-single tied it at 1-1. Raider Talon White produced a two-run single for a lead Lumberton would not relinquish. A fourth run scored when a throw short-hopped at first base and couldn’t be snagged. Livingston was in a 4-1 hole after three innings.
“We would just miss on a pitch and it just happens at the worst possible time,” Livingston coach David Miller said. “It's not one of those when you miss it to the first guy and then come back and get a quick double play. There were just a couple of miscues that usually don't happen, and then it would have been totally different ball game. We fought for seven innings. It would have been very easy after (Lumberton) put up that four spot for these guys to shut it down, but they battled. I am proud of how they fought, I just wish a couple of things were different.”
After two perfect innings from Lion hurler Luke Jones, it was the bottom of the order that got things going for the Raiders in that third inning.
“We handled the top of their order, but sometimes when you get to seven, eight and nine (in the lineup) you think, ‘I can relax a little bit.’ That is usually what happens, but Luke competed,” Miller said. “He pitched his butt off for six innings. He started losing the breaking ball and he was tired.”
In the top of the sixth, Carlos Valerio slugged a stand-up triple, and was driven in by a Jacob Wood single, cutting into the lead at 4-2.
In the bottom half, the Raiders added insurance runs with a double and single that each pushed over a run.
“We have Landon (Hodges) and Karter (Nelson) going tomorrow. Landon is going to go in (Game 2), and if he pitches like he is capable of pitching, it should be a quick one and hopefully we are able to get on them and score a couple and that is all we need.
“I told the guys that a few of us are trying to do a little too much (at the plate). They started dropping their back shoulder instead of staying tall. They are going to throw fastballs over the plate and they're going to be very hittable. When they do, we have to make sure that we're staying within ourselves and putting a good swing on it. If we do that, I think we're going to be alright.”
