PITTSBORO — Just three days removed from being manhandled by Orange and dealt its initial 3A Big Eight Conference defeat of the spring, the Northwood baseball team answered the call with a thrilling 6-5 triumph over the Panthers in Pittsboro Saturday afternoon.
Northwood (5-1, 9-4) plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh to storm back for the improbable league win, stunning Orange (5-1, 8-3), which had been unbeaten in conference action, and had drubbed the Chargers 9-1 just three days earlier.
Brandon Crabtree had a huge game at the plate for Northwood with a 3-for-4 effort that included two runs scored and two RBI while Beau Weathers was 2-for-4 and Michael Posse 1-for-2 with three walks, two stolen bases and an RBI-double, the Chargers lone extra base hit of the contest which saw the locals collect nine all told.
Jeff Marcin was 1-for-1 for the Chargers while Justin Sczcypinski was 1-for-4 with a run, and Mason Bae 1-for-3 with a run.
Also for Northwood, Tyler Johnson drew three walks and collected a pair of RBI, Dylan Hitt drew two walks and chipped in an RBI, Deuce Powell walked, stole two bases and scored a run, Glenn Lassiter scored a run, and Landon Johnson drove in a run.
Northwood tallied a run in the bottom of the second to go up 1-0 before adding another in the fourth to take a 2-0 cushion.
Orange countered with three runs in the fifth, and two more in the sixth to storm back for a 5-2 advantage.
Undaunted, the Chargers used a run in the home half of the sixth to close the deficit to 5-3 before using the three runs in the bottom of the seventh to take the walk-off 6-5 win.
Sczcypinski took the win on the mound for Northwood after working the final 1.2 innings and allowing just two walks while fanning three.
Tyler Johnson started the contest for the Chargers and worked five innings and yielded 10 hits, three earned runs, no walks, and struck out three before being replaced by Hitt in the sixth who allowed no hits, two runs (one earned), and a walk.
Orange was led by Cooper Hench who was 3-for-3 at the plate with a run and a walk.
Cooper Porter was 2-for-3 with a walk for the Panthers while Will Walker was 2-for-4 with two RBI and a double, and Joey Benini drove in a pair of runs.
Suffering the loss on the mound for Orange was Hench who came in for the Panthers in the sixth and worked 1.2 innings and allowed four hits, four runs (one earned), five walks and whiffed one.
Porter started the contest for Orange and went five innings and yielded four hits, two runs, five walks and struck out four in the no-decision.