Tabb 4 New Kent 3 (baseball)
Three hits in the seventh and final inning positioned New Kent’s host Trojans for a Bay Rivers District baseball upset of Tabb. But the Tigers turned a double play and, with the tying run in scoring position, got a ground ball third out to escape with a 4-3 win in the March 13 season opener.
New Kent trailed 4-2 heading into the seventh. Adam Otey led off with an infield single off Tiger reliever Adam McConnell, but was erased when the next batter, Joey Bell, grounded into a double play.
One out away from the win, McConnell then gave up a single into center field off the bat of Jake Jones. Jimmy Newcomb followed with a drive to deep left field that scored Jones.
Newcomb pulled into second base with a double. McConnell, however, registered the save, getting Steven Allen to ground out third to first the end the game.
“That double play hurt a lot,” New Kent coach Ronnie Cox said. “But I’m not disappointed. Tabb is a very good team, and they always make plays like that.
“We didn’t quit after that double play,” he said. “I’m real happy even though we lost. I don’t like to start out the season with a loss, but we stayed with them and had a chance to win at the end.”
New Kent jumped on top in the second inning. Al Hammill touched Tabb starter Cody Brown for a leadoff triple and scored on Derrick Curtis’ sacrifice. But Tabb caught the hosts with a run in the third and forged in front with another score in the fourth.
New Kent evened the affair in the fifth after Jake Williams drew a one-out walk and Tiger first baseman Zack Wilson missed a tag attempt on Otey who stroked an infield grounder. Bell then looped a single to shallow right field, loading the bases and chasing Brown who was relieved by McConnell.
McConnell faced Jones who grounded to Wilson and drew a tag from the first baseman as Williams scored to knot the game at 2-2. New Kent had runners at second and third, but Newcomb lined out to the mound to end the frame.
Tabb moved in front to stay with a pair of runs in the sixth. Taking the mound to relieve starter B.J. Fox in the seventh, Newcomb struck out the side, preventing the Tigers from pulling away.
“Brown and McConnell are two of the top pitchers in the district and we almost got them,” Cox said. “We played good defense and did real well with our two-strike hitting.”