By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Between thrills and chills, with as many professional scouts in the bleachers as there were brave souls who braced against the brutal weather without sitting in warm vehicles, Bedford North Lawrence split a two-team doubleheader that mirrored Saturday’s temperatures.
Started fine, finished frigid.
After a walk-off victory over Franklin in the first game of the twinbill, the Stars dropped a tough 2-0 decision to Evansville North in the second contest. Both games could have not been more dynamically opposite.
After an 8-1 lead got squandered in the opener, with the Grizzly Cubs pulling even on a grand slam in the top of the seventh, BNL snatched back the 9-8 victory with a bases-loaded walk by Tate Tanksley with two outs in the bottom of that frame.
In the second game, the Stars surrendered only one hit, but the Huskies (2-0) scored twice with a wild pitch on a strikeout, two walks, a balk and a ground out. And that was enough as the Stars (1-2) left nine runners on base.
The first game was the main attraction for the scouts, who descended on BNL Field to watch Franklin outfield phenom Max Clark, rated as the top prospect in the nation and a likely high draft choice in the upcoming MLB draft. Clark, with more than 15 scouts watching every move, didn’t disappoint as he went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
But others stole the show. BNL did so with an early attack, including a five-run fourth inning. Franklin’s Braeden Burton did so, because it was his late grand slam that created the 8-8 deadlock. And finally the Stars did so again, without benefit of a hit. Two walks, a fielder’s choice, an error and ultimately the walk-off walk to Tanksley plated the winning run.
“We just about let it get away from us,” BNL coach Jeff Callahan said. “We were able to hold them after the home run, we put pressure on their defense and their pitcher.
“The dugout was pretty dead after that ball went out of the park. We were able to bounce back. To credit Cal (Gates, the winner in relief after escaping a jam with the go-ahead run on second) he did a good job of getting us out of there, gave us chance to win the game.”
BNL took control early with a two-run double by Kline Woodward in the first. Walker Ward’s RBI single in the third made it 3-1, and the Stars exploded in the fourth as Franklin’s defense scuffled. Woodward had the only hit during the rally, but the Grizzly Cubs dug their own hole with two walks and two errors to fuel the fire.
Franklin (0-1) roared back. Clark cracked a two-run double in the sixth to make it 8-4. In the seventh, after two walks loaded the bases, BNL reliever Cristos McCormick got the first out on an infield fly, but Burton followed with his bases-clearing blast to center.
BNL’s seventh was set up by Kaedyn Bennett’s walk, and Jonny Stone reached on a fielder’s choice. Woodward reached on an error, and with two outs Tanksley coaxed the game-winning walk.
All the action in the second game happened in the North fourth. BNL had multiple chances to answer, with Woodward ripping a single and Ryker Hughes walking in the fourth, with Nate Pemberton’s sharp single and a Bennett walk in the fifth, with walks to the first two batters in the sixth. Nothing came of those opportunities.
“We just couldn’t get anything going,” Callahan said. “We had a couple of chances. You will have two or three innings to have a chance to score, and you have to take advantage of those. We didn’t execute a few things.
“It was cold. It’s a long day, but the kids did a good job of battling through the elements. It does affect you mentally and physically.”
Ward stuck out five in four innings of work against North, while McCormick and Gates were solid in relief. In the first game, Woodward had three hits while Cade Mungle added two.
BNL will host Austin on Monday.
