SHERIDAN -- After putting on a run-scoring show the night before, Lakeside's bats fizzled with a state title at stake.
Joey Cates, less that 48 hours after being hit in the head by a batted ball in Bryant's winners' bracket defeat of the Rams, pitched five scoreless innings after allowing two unearned runs in the first, and the Black Sox got four RBIs each from leadoff batter Cameron Coleman and Matthew Sandidge in a 13-2 rout of the American Legion Class AA final Sunday at the Sheridan Sports Complex.
The game was stopped under the 10-run rule after Bryant scored four runs in the sixth and Cates worked out of a jam in the bottom of the inning.
The impressive victory came after Lakeside (17-7) forced a second title matchup by defeating the Black Sox 12-3 late Saturday. Earlier Saturday, the Rams had 21 hits in a five-inning 23-11 rout of River Valley Tropics.
"All year these guys have been resilient," said Black Sox coach Hunter Mayall, a senior-to-be infielder at Henderson State. "They don't give up. They keep fighting all the time, and it showed today. After getting beat by nine runs last nine, and pretty convincingly, they came out and beat them pretty convincingly."
Cates shut down Lakeside after giving up runs on an error and Zac Melugin's sacrifice fly. Reece Nickles and Brandon Hall singled in the first, but the Rams managed only four hits the rest of the game.
"It was pretty scary," Cates said of taking Carter West's sharply hit ball off the back of his head and being sent to a hospital Friday. "It kind of got to me, but my mom told me in the car it doesn't happen all the time, and the chances of it happening again are slim to none. I just did my thing, and had a great defense behind me. This isn't just my W, it's the whole team's."
Cates was more efficient than dominant. He had only three strikeouts, two coming in the sixth, getting eight outs on ground balls and five on flies.
"He's been a leader on the team the past two years," Mayall said, "and he proved that this weekend. ... He wanted to pitch last night, but I wouldn't let him. He came out today and did exactly what we expect him to do. He threw a great game."
When after his team's 35-run outburst Saturday, Lakeside coach Leighton Hardin was concerned about facing Cates.
"When I saw he was going to pitch, I didn't have a good feeling about it," Hardin said. "I think he wanted to come back for his team, and they came to play."
Stopped hold by Jonathan Barmore 6 2-3 innings of relief Saturday, Bryant took advance for five walks from Andrew Spakes to score five runs in the first two innings.
Melguin's sac fly have the Rams a 2-1 lead, but Coleman put the Black Sox ahead for good in the second with a two-run double after Spakes walked Daniel Darbonne leading off and C.J. Wallace singled. Coleman scored when Christian Harp drew a bases-loaded walk, and Sandidge's run-scoring groundout made it 5-2.
Spakes threw a scoreless third before allowing two runs on four hits and his sixth walk in the fourth. Jordan Gentry led off with a double, and Sandidge and Darbonne had RBI singles before Kyle Lightsey relieved to retired two straight batters to end the inning.
Like Barmore the night before, Spakes (3 1-3 innings, seven runs and nine hits allowed) played in his first game of the tournament's second weekend after returning from vacation.
Spakes saved Lakeside's first-session wins over River Valley Tropics and Sheridan.
"He just didn't have his best game," Hardin said. "He just struggled to find the strike zone."
Blake Spilker took the mound after Lightsey walked Coleman and Gentry to start the fifth. Coleman scored on Melugin's errant pickoff throw, and Sandidge made it 9-2 with a two-out single.
Bryant put the run rule into effect in the sixth on Coleman's two-run double and Gentry's triple. Cates added a sacrifice fly.
Lakeside had a chance to extend the game after loading the bases with one out in the bottom half on two walks and Spilker's single, but Cates struck out Caleb Lloyd and flipped Tanner Rice's comebacker to Gentry at home for the last out.
Darbonne went 3-for-3, Sandidge and Gentry 3-for-4 and Coleman 2-for-3 with two walks and three stolen bases. Gentry and Coleman each scored four runs.
"They hit the ball on the barrel," Hardin said. "They just do a good job hitting on the barrel and finding holes."
Spilker went 2-for-2 and Meligun 1-for-1 for Lakeside, both with a walk.
Like in Friday's loss, the top four hitters in Rams' order struggled, going a collective 2-for-13. They combined for 16 hits and 13 RBIs in Saturday's games.
Bryant 140 224 - 13 13 2
Lakeside 200 000 - 2 6 1
Game stopped after 6th inning, run rule.
Cates and Gentry. Spakes, Lightsey (4), Spilker (5) and Melugin. W-Cates. L-Spakes. 3B-Bryant, Darbonne, Geentry. 2B-Bryant, Coleman 2, Gentry. S-Bryant, Hastings. SF-Bryant, Cates. Lakeside, Melugin. SB-Bryant, Coleman 3, Gentry, Hastings. Lakeside, Nickles, Rice.
Sports on 08/03/2015