KILLEEN – Trailing by six to start the contest, the Brownwood Lions scored 11 of the game’s final 12 runs – including seven in the decisive bottom of the fifth inning – to rally for an 11-7 victory over Pflugerville Hendrickson Friday afternoon at Shoemaker High School in the Killeen baseball tournament.
The Lions (3-4) will conclude tournament action Saturday with games at 10 a.m. against Elgin and noon against Leander Glenn at Harker Heights, looking to build on their two-game win streak.
Facing a 7-4 deficit when the bottom of the fifth inning began, Harrison Sweaney and Cannon Calvert both walked with one out, then Sweaney stole third base and scored on an errant throw to the bag ahead of an RBI double by Durham Brown that plated Calvert and brought Brownwood within a run, 7-6.
Daylyn Ansons later walked and Calder Damron followed by reaching on one of four Hendrickson (4-4-1) errors, which allowed Brown to race home with the tying run.
The Lions seized an 8-7 advantage on an RBI single to right field by Carter Massey that plated Ansons.
With two outs, Robbie Robinson reached on another Hendrickson miscue that allowed Rhett Lowe, running for Damron, to score. Sweaney followed with a ground ball that was booted by Hendrickson which permitted Shaxton Simpson, who walked, and Preston Cook, running for Massey, to cross the plate with the 10th and 11th runs.
Staring at a 6-0 deficit in the bottom of the third inning, the Lion offense came to life with a two-run home run by Wyatt Wolf, which also plated Wooten after a lead-off walk.
Down 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Damron walked with one out ahead of a two-run blast from Wooten, shaving the deficit to 7-4.
Brownwood finished the game with seven hits – one each by Wooten, Wolf, Robinson, Calvert, Brown, Massey, and Garrett Wilkerson. The Lions also drew eight walks. The two RBIs by Wolf and Wooten led the team, along with one apiece from Brown, Damron and Massey.
On the mound, Wolf tossed four innings and yielded seven runs – two earned, as the Brownwood defense committed six errors – on six hits with five strikeouts and four walks. Massey struck out a batter in his inning of relief to notch the victory.