By CHARLES DEE
The 2013 Rebel baseball team wrote a new chapter in the book of exciting playoff victories on Friday night. Hays completed a thrilling rally in the bottom of the seventh inning to sweep the Clemens Buffaloes in the regional quarterfinal series.
Rebel highlights were few and far between in the first six innings as Clemens pitcher J.J. Elkins held the Rebs in check. During that time, the Buffaloes offense built a 4- 0 lead with two runs in the first, a run in the third and seemingly an insurance run in the top of the seventh.
But the Rebels, who went nine consecutive games decided by the last at-bat during the season, showed no signs of giving up. Trailing 4-0, Justin Montana drew a lead-off walk; Alex Robles then looped a single to right. A glimmer of hope rippled through the Rebel dugout, as Hays had two runners on with nobody out.
J.C. Cerda moved Montana to third with a ground ball that forces Robles out at second. Pinch runner Gibson Hatch then stole second with Granger Studdard at bat. Studdard then reaches first on a Clemens miscue, allowing Montana to score, leaving runners at first and third for cleanup hitter Dalton Niles.
With the score now 4-1, Niles ripped a double off the wall that plates Hatch and moves Studdard to third. The tension of the moment had the crowd in a frenzy; the Rebels had cut the Buffaloes lead in half at 4-2. Clemens changed pitchers to face Devin Palm, who immediately greeted him with a seeing eye grounder, which eluded the glove of the third baseman, scoring Studdard. An alert Athen Schultz, running for Niles, sprinted home with the tying run when a Buffaloe throw to the plate skipped away from the catcher.
With Palm on first, Nate Scott added to the excitement with a single, moving Palm around to third. Clemens then chose to intentionally walk Justin Diaz, bringing Adrian Acosta up to the plate with the bases loaded, one out, and the winning run at third. Acosta battled to a 2-2 count, fouling off strike three twice, before delivering a clean single up the middle to start the Rebel pandemonium of a 5-4 victory.
Acosta also relieved starter Alec Swofford in the third and allowed no earned runs and a single hit through 4 and 2/3 innings to gain the win on the mound. The Rebels earned a berth in the regional semifinals for the fourth time in school history and will face perennial power Corpus Christi Moody.
