On Thursday, March 7, the Archie Williams varsity baseball team played their home opener against the Branson Bulls. The game went to extra innings, with the Falcons walking off the game in the bottom of the eighth. The Falcons won the series against the Bulls and advanced to their second MCAL win, bringing their record to 2-1.
“The perseverance to never give up, showed us two games in a row now that we don’t just put our heads down and just fold,” said Head Coach Tyler Weeks.
The Falcons started the first inning with defense retiring the side and senior team captain Sam Black pitching. The offense started strong with the Falcons getting a leadoff base hit followed by an RBI-double by sophomore Jake Barnes. With a sacrifice flyout, Jake tagged up and created a 2-0 lead for the Falcons early on.
“The bats came out pretty hot, and Sam did a great job on the bump. His pitching got us through that first inning,” said junior Henry Hanavan.
The Bulls responded in the second inning with a solo home run by senior Kaden Gustafson. However, the Falcons managed to end the scoring and maintain their 2-1 lead. The Falcons kept their cool and created an opportunity with the bases loaded, but could not capitalize.
The Bulls equalized in the fourth inning with Kaden hitting his second home run of the game, bringing the score 2-2. The Falcons stopped the bleeding by creating a double to retire the Bulls. The Bulls kept the Falcons close, not allowing them to score in the bottom of the fourth.
“You can look at those home runs as negatives, but [Sam] got us to five innings with two runs. You can’t ask more from a starting pitcher, especially in this league with good hitting lineups and quality teams,” Weeks said.
The Falcons’ defense brought in relief senior pitcher Peter Irwin to help keep their heads up in the fifth inning. Irwin was successful in keeping Branson at 2-2, and Archie created two baserunners for senior captain Jackson Oliver-Roa to acquire an RBI double. Henry followed up, hitting a three-run home run to extend their lead to 6-2.
“Was in a bit of a slump, that bomb got me out of that. The connection felt great, and that three-run shot felt good,” Henry said.
The Falcon’s defense maintained their lead, preventing any runs from the Bulls in the sixth inning. The Bulls reacted similarly, keeping the score 6-2 going into the seventh inning.
The Bulls managed to once again tie the Falcons 6-6 with an RBI and a two-run home run by senior Cooper Tenney. Branson maintained their defensive momentum and pushed the game into extra innings through a scoreless seventh for the Falcons.
The Bulls managed to get another run in the top of the eighth, breaking the tie 6-7. In the bottom of the eighth, Archie Williams displayed a clutch inning with an immediate single and double. Lining up an RBI groundout for Jackson, the Falcons equalized with pinch-runner junior Miki Accomazzo on third. The Bulls delivered a wild pitch where Miki stole home for the walk-off win going up 8-7.
“The boys have learned to get behind their teammates. They know when one guy makes a mistake, they are gonna be there to pick them right back up,” Weeks said.
This win moves the Falcons to a 2-1 MCAL record. They hope to keep their momentum heading into an away game against Campolindo High School on Saturday, March 9.
