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| Blue Springs' Nick Gulotta hits an RBI double in the nine-run bottom of the fourth inning Wednesday against Liberty. The Wildcats pulled an upset of the top-ranked Blue Jays, winning 9-5. |
Sometimes in baseball one big inning is all it takes.
For Blue Springs Wednesday afternoon, a nine-run fourth
inning was all they needed to knock off top-ranked Liberty at home, 9-5, moving
them into sole possession of first place in the Suburban Big Six Conference.
“That was the game,” Wildcats head coach Marc Hines said of the big inning.
“We got a couple of key hits, some wild pitches and we moved runners. I’m
pleased with the way the kids got key hits in key situations.”
That fourth inning did have a little bit of everything, as
the Wildcats broke open a game they were trailing 3-0.
“This is a great Liberty team,” Hines said. “I told them in
practice that we’ll respect everybody but we won’t fear anyone or back down.”
Not only did Blue Springs not back down, but they kept
throwing punches once they got the lead.
Kyle Reed started the inning with a double, followed by Nick
Gulotta taking a walk. After a pop up, Corban Hare drove in the first run with
a single. Nick Dorman followed with a single, Jordan Bardwell took the inning’s
second walk and then Gulotta came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-2.
With runners on second and third, Matt Morrison came to the
plate and gave the Wildcats the lead for good with a two-run single to right
field. A throwing error on the play brought home a third run for a 5-3 lead.
“Whenever there was a runner on third base I just wanted to
get the ball to the outfield and score a run,” Morrison said. “The pitch was
there and I took it.”
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| Blue Springs second baseman Jeremy Lufft throws to first base for an out during Wednesday's 9-5 win over Liberty. |
All of a sudden, the floodgates were open and Blue Springs
kept pouring it on, and they got some help from the Blue Jays.
An error and a wild pitch scored the next two runs to make
it 7-3 before Gulotta ripped an RBI double and James McKinley drove in the
final run with a single.
In the inning, the Wildcats had 13 hitters come to bat, collected seven hits and scored nine runs.
“Hitting is contagious,” Hare said. “It got us pumped up
when we scored a run and it rolled from there. The whole team was confident.”
The entire Wildcat team seems to be hitting with more
confidence, and not just Wednesday. Ever since the week of the River City Festival, they have
gone 7-2 and each night someone new seems to get the clutch hit.
“Our mentality has changed,” Hare said. “We’ve been looking
away, not looking to do too much. We’ve been unselfish. We’ve been laying down
sacrifice bunts, hitting sacrifice flies, anything to get the run in.”
The pitching has improved as well, and while Hare gave up
five runs in a complete game effort, Hines saw what he wanted.
“Corban pitched a great game. That’s the Corban we’ve been
waiting for,” he said.
Hare said a big inning for him was the top of the fifth, as
he retired Liberty in order after his team spotted him the six-run lead.
“I needed to come out and have a quick inning and get them
one, two, three. It was very critical to get three quick outs,” he said. “ … When
you have a six-run lead it’s a lot easier to pitch knowing you can give up a
few hits and runs and still be fine.”
The win moved the Wildcats to 12-7 overall and 6-2 in
conference. The Blue Jays dropped to 19-3 and 6-3, meaning Blue Springs can
capture the conference title if they win out in its final two conference games
against Blue Springs South and Lee’s Summit North.
Not surprisingly, Hines’ team credits its confidence with a
big reason for the turnaround in the last nine games.
“That has a lot to do with it. We’ve beaten some big teams
and that’s given us a lot of confidence,” Morrison said.
Hines hopes not too much heading into Friday’s rematch against
South.
“They’re confident but they can’t let it go to their head,”
he said.
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