RICHMOND, Ind. – Giving up three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning could send a team into a tailspin that results in a loss.
That didn’t happen on Monday as the Union City baseball team answered the call in the eighth to post an 8-6 extra inning victory over Randolph Southern in the Class 1A Seton Sectional.
“Our team didn’t give up,” Union City Head Coach Bill Bradbury said. “That’s what this team does.”
“That could have took the wind out of a lot of team’s sails, but we fought and pulled it out,” Bradbury continued.
The Indians (14-8) advance to face Covington (12-13) in the opener of Saturday’s regional at Carroll (Flora) at 11 a.m. Covington defeated Turkey Run 14-0 on Monday to win its sectional title.
“This is what we’ve worked for and this is what it’s all about,” Bradbury said. “I want to find a way to keep playing with these guys. They are a lot of fun.”
The second contest features ranked teams in No. 6 Daleville (18-9) and No. 8 Rossville (18-10) at 1 p.m. The championship is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Union City led 6-3 going into the bottom of the seventh and the Rebels scored three times to send the contest into extra innings.
“We tried not to come in with our heads down,” Zach Bradbury said. “I had confidence all the way with our guys.”
Zach Bradbury led off the top of the eighth with his fourth hit of the game and he would eventually score the game-winner.
After Nic Wells was hit by a pitch, Trevor Spence doubled to score Bradbury.
Cameron Luster added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the eighth Wells retired all three Rebels (7-16) he faced to the Indians were able to celebrate.
“We had to make it through that eight inning because our guys were getting fatigued,” Zach Bradbury said. “We had to buckle down.”
The end result was Union City’s second regional crown and first since 2012.
“It’s incredible,” Zach Bradbury said thinking about his fellow seniors. “We’ve been working for 13 years for this and this is the best way we could go out.”
The Indians jumped out to a 2-0 advantage in the top of the first as Jacob Fulk knocked in a run with a double and Luster had a RBI ground out.
Randolph Southern took the lead in the third as the Rebels scored three times.
In the fifth, Luster tied the game with a run-scoring single, which was followed by a RBI double by Gabe Loesch that put the Indians in front 4-3.
One frame later, Zach Bradbury added a run-scoring double and Fulk had a sacrifice fly to put the Indians on top 6-3 to set the stage for the wild finish.
Loesch went 6⅔ innings and surrendered all three runs on five hits with five strikeouts. Wells allowed a hit that tied the game in the seventh before he got the last four outs to earn the victory.
Spence, Luster and Loesch all had two hits for the Indians, while Wells, Fulk, Jacob Bradbury and Jacob Curry each had a hit.
Carroll (Flora) Regional Pairings
Saturday, June 2
Covington (12-13) vs. Union City (14-8), 11 a.m.
No. 6 Daleville (18-9) vs. No. 8 Rossville (18-10), 1 p.m.
Championship, 7 p.m.