Bears overcome four-run first inning in comeback win

Apr. 10—After a slow start Tuesday night, the Pisgah baseball team turned things around for a big 7-4 win over West Henderson.

"We tested ourselves," said Pisgah Coach Harold Shepard. "We are finding ways to grow in places that we need to grow mentally. The last couple of games have made us grow mentally. We can play. We're growing as players and growing as young men."

The win keeps the Bears perfect in conference play this season with a Mountain 8 conference record of 6-0. Pisgah also holds a 10-1 overall record and sits as the No. 4 team in the statewide 4A RPI rankings.

Tough start

Junior Landyn Wright got the start on the mound for the Bears. A leadoff error in right field got a Falcons runner to third base to start the game. It was one of three errors on the night for Pisgah.

"We have to be clean when we do get them, and we weren't clean when we had the opportunity," Shepard said.

Wright buckled down from there, striking out the next two batters, but a single through the gap scored the next two runners.

Then, Wright lost a bit of control. Shepard said the junior's stuff was just a little off on Tuesday night, but that first inning also had another problem — the sun.

Each time Wright would deliver a pitch to the plate, he was throwing directly into the sun. As he would wait on his catcher, senior Boone Carver, to throw the ball back, he'd be shielding his eyes.

"There's a little saddle right there in that mountain, and it hits right in the pitcher's eyes," Shepard said. "It's always a factor, but we practice in it, so it shouldn't be as big a factor. Boone had him coming off on the other side and catching the ball, and that helped."

Wright walked the next two batters before a triple cleared the bases and put the Falcons up 4-0.

Leader behind the plate

A couple of times during that first inning and a couple of times later in the game, Carver walked from his position behind the plate to talk to his pitcher and calm him down.

Each time, the pitcher looked more settled and confident after the mound visit.

"He's a captain for a reason. They respect him, and rightfully so," Shepard said.

Carver's impact was felt throughout the night. The senior was a steady hand on defense and a powerful bat on offense, hitting an RBI double, drawing a walk, and scoring a run of his own. The catcher even stole third at one point.

Leading up to the game, Shepard had chatted with Carver about the game and how they wanted to approach the Falcons' batters.

"Age does not define good people," Shepard said. "Boone has played a lot of baseball, and if he has an opinion or an idea about some things, I'll listen. I respect what he brings to the table, and I'm thankful to have him."

Wright went on to pitch a total of four innings, allowing just two hits and four runs, all of which came in the first inning. He also struck out nine batters.

"It was the third inning, and we were at 78 in pitches on him, so we'd go ahead and jump on up to 100, and then we've got until next Tuesday," Shepard said.

Two-out rally

Wright ended up with the win, as when he left the mound, the Bears held a 6-4 lead.

That swing came in one big inning for the Bears. In the bottom of the third, Pisgah had runners on first and second with two outs.

It's a situation that has played out in practices on that same field numerous times already this season.

"We practice that," Shepard said. "We scrimmage a lot because drills get monotonous, and I get tired of it. We set up different games and different scenarios. We try to keep stuff entertaining and them competing. Because if you're not competing, why are you out here?"

And it worked out. Wright singled to score senior Jaxon Layman from second. That was followed by Carver's RBI double to drive in senior Maddox Wright and make it a 4-2 game.

Wright was another weapon for the Bears all night, going 2-4 at the plate and creating havoc on the base paths.

"Get those big, long legs on base, and he's going to steal. He's going to be a hard out to get," Shepard said.

Junior Zane Wilson drew a walk before junior Zack Wester tied the game on an RBI single that sent Wright and Carver home.

Junior Mason Young then reached on an error, allowing Wilson to score from third. Wester tied up the fielders and forced a throw to third before turning and sprinting to the plate to go up 6-4. Unfortunately for the Bears, Young got caught trying to take second when Wester went home, ending the inning.

Wester came in to pitch in the fifth, throwing the final three innings. He allowed just one hit while striking out six.

He also added the final run of the night when his RBI single scored Carver from third. Wester ended up going 3-3 at the plate with 3 RBI and a run scored.

The win has Pisgah in the driver's seat of the Mountain 8 as the only unbeaten squad left. That will be tested next week in a big rivalry series.

The game against West Henderson was Pisgah's only game over spring break this week. Next week, the Bears will travel to Waynesville on Tuesday to face Tuscola, which is playing in a tournament this week, before hosting the Mountaineers on Friday night.

Shepard wasn't concerned with keeping things rolling through the weeklong layoff. He said the players had arrived for Tuesday night's 7 p.m. game at 1:30 that afternoon, having not even questioned the early arrival.

"I'm not worried about that momentum. They want to be here," Shepard said.