The Canton Modified Baseball Team saw two late-inning leads evaporate, resulting in a heartbreaking 12-11 eight-inning loss at Malone Tuesday.
The Bears (1-2) used a seven-run fifth inning to propel themselves to a 9-6 lead going into the bottom of the seventh, but the Huskies rallied to tie the game. The coaches and umpires decided to play an extra inning, and Canton netted a pair of runs to take an 11-9 lead. Malone responded with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, winning the game on a bases-loaded walk.
Canton battled throughout the see-saw struggle, scoring a run in the first and holding that 1-0 lead until the fourth inning, where Malone scored four runs. The Bears’ big fifth inning consecutive hits by JJ Ahlfeld for an RBI, Zadok Roiger for two RBI and Charlie Todd for an RBI. John Gidney also had an RBI single in the fifth, and the Bears led 8-4.
Malone responded with two runs in the fifth and Canton scored a run in the sixth to make the score 9-6 and setup the dramatic final innings.
Gidney reached base all three times he came up, with two hits and a hit-by-pitch. Ahlfeld was 3-for-3 with two runs scored, and Todd was 3-for-5 with a run scored. Gavin Schryver, Jack Murray, Brayden Beeles and Alden Woodruff scored runs.
Roiger pitched masterfully through three innings, allowing only two base runners. He gave up one hit, but picked that runner off, didn’t issue a walk and struck out three. Jackson Ames pitched three innings, giving up five runs on six hits with two walks and five strikeouts. Murray pitched the last inning and was tagged with the loss.
The Bears play their first home game Thursday at 5 p.m. against Massena.
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