LITTLE ROCK -- Held to one run on just two hits through five innings against Alma starter Zac Henson, Lakeside came to life at the plate when the Airedales turned to their bullpen late in the game.
Trailing 4-1, the Rams (11-2) broke out with six runs on five hits in the top of the sixth, later withstanding a comeback bid by Alma (4-6) for a 7-6 win in the Central Arkansas Invitational tournament Friday at Little Rock Catholic's Lamar Porter Field.
"We had to just weather the storm in the first five innings," Lakeside coach Leighton Hardin said. "We were still having some good at-bats, fouling off a lot of pitches with two strikes. We ran (Henson's) pitch count up so they had to go to the bullpen, and that's one of the tools in our toolbox.
"There's going to be days when we don't hit their best guy so we have to figure out ways to get him out of the game. We battled, got him out of the game in the sixth and we were able to break it open at that point."
Lakeside's Zac Melugin led off the top of the sixth with a single and Jesus Minjarez reached on an error to give the Rams runners on first and second before Landon Blair relieved Henson on the mound.
After Ryan Robinson drew a walk to load the bases, Ben Muldoon plated a run and a throwing error by the Airedales led to an additional run, but the Rams were just getting started. Three batters later, leadoff man Justin Scott broke out of a slump to give Lakeside its first lead of the game.
Striking out in four of his previous six plate appearances, the junior outfielder delivered a two-run double to the opposite field as the Rams took a 5-4 advantage.
"He's been pressing a little bit so it was good to see Justin do that," said Hardin. "He had some success last year, won some awards and got some attention, and he's pressing to think he has to do something special rather than just be Justin. In the biggest spot he's probably had this year at the plate, he finally just settled in and did his job."
Brady Prince and Ethan Bates each followed with an RBI single and Lakeside pushed its lead to 7-4 midway through the sixth inning.
Alma regained some momentum when Henson's single plated a run in the bottom of the sixth, but Minjarez picked him off at first to retire the side with the lead in tact.
Following three quick outs by the Rams in the top of the seventh, Jacob Hamilton's two-out RBI single pulled the Airedales within 7-6 and brought the winning run to the plate.
Minjarez stayed calm under the pressure, inducing a ground out to end the game just one batter later. Taking over for Prince in the bottom of the sixth, Minjarez allowed two runs on three hits with one walk and three strikeouts to earn the save.
"Having depth on the mound is something that we always make sure we are going to do," Hardin said. "Jesus did a great job. They had a couple of runs on him, but it wasn't anything major to where it was going to turn into a three or four run issue. He pounded the zone, his curveball worked well today and he kept them off balance."
While Lakeside went quietly in the early part of the game, the Airedales teed off on Prince in the bottom of the first. Seven of Alma's first eight batters reached base safely, Christian Flores, Grant Shankle and Henson each with one RBI as the Airedales rode five hits to a quick 4-0 lead in the opening frame.
After the shaky start, Prince settled in and went to work over the next four innings, scattering three hits while keeping Alma off the scoreboard. The sophomore finished with four runs allowed on eight hits in five innings pitched, striking out three and walking three.
"Brady is a tough kid, and he did a great job of keeping the ball at or below their knees the rest of the game after that first inning," said Hardin. "Once he started spotting his fastball down there, they didn't have much of a chance to hit him. It says a lot about Brady, being able to come back from giving up four runs in the first to them only getting three hits the rest of the way."
Muldoon and Scott each finished with one double and two RBIs in four plate appearances for the Rams. Melugin had two singles in four at-bats, with both coming in the top of the sixth.
Parker Edwards had two singles, one double and one stolen base in four plate appearances for the Airedales.
Lakeside will close the tournament against defending Class 5A champion Vilonia (7-7) at 3 p.m. today at Little Rock Christian's Warrior Field. The Rams resume 5A/6A-6 conference play Tuesday at Texarkana (6-6, 1-0).
Sports on 03/24/2018