Published: March 26, 2008 12:56 am         

Summers rallies for 7-6 victory

HINTON — It’s early, but Summers County has shown it won’t stay down.

Shawn Weikle’s grand slam tied the game in the sixth, then the Bobcats scored a run in the seventh for a 7-6 comeback win Tuesday over Bland (Va.)

The Summers win spoiled the homecoming of Bland coach Mike Miller, who played for the Bobcats in 1995-98. He is in his fifth season at Bland and has brought the Bears to Hinton the last three.

Bland is 0-3 in those games.

The Bears took a 6-1 lead with a five-run sixth inning. They had seven hits — all singles — in the inning to seemingly take control.

But the Bobcats rose to the challenge in the bottom of the inning with their own five-run outburst. All five runs were scored with two outs, starting with Mark Stiltner’s bases-loaded walk.

Weikle then drilled a 2-1 pitch from Bland reliever Jacob Lambert into the wind and over the Chain Link Monster in left field to tie the game at 6-6.

“That was a shot,” said Miller, who watched several home runs soar out of the field during his Summers career. “He got one in his (wheel) house and he knew what to do with it.”

The Bobcats won it in the seventh, again scoring with two outs.

After Taran McKinney reached on an error, Brandon Plumley was called safe at first on a controversial play. He hit a ball that Bland reliever Dakotah Crouse fielded cleanly, but the umpire ruled his throw pulled first baseman Eric Harless off the bag.

Miller argued the call and appealed, to no avail.

Joey Lilly walked to load the bases, and Stiltner’s grounder went through the legs of Lambert at shortstop, allowing courtesy runner Zach Gill to score the winning run.

In last Friday’s 9-6 season-opening win over Princeton, Jake Meade’s three-run homer in the ninth led the Bobcats.

“They really battled back in both wins,” Summers coach Josh Houchins said. “I think it says a lot about the character of our kids. They’ve gotten down a couple times and come back. Hopefully we can keep it going into Princeton on Thursday (a 5 p.m. start).”

McKinney, a freshman, got the win in relief. He worked 1 1-3 perfect innings for his first career win.

— E-mail: gfauber@

register-herald.com



Summers County 7, Bland (Va.) 6

B: 010 005 0 — 6 9 4

SC: 000 015 1 — 7 3 3

B: Aaron Blankenship, Cody Blessing (3), Jacob Lambert (6), Dakotah Crouse (6) and Blessing, Lambert (3), Blessing (3), SC: R.J. Sears, Parker Wheby (5), Taran McKinney (6) and Jake Meade. WP — McKinney. LP — Crouse. Hitting — B: Lambert (rbi), Eric Harless 2-3 (2b), Crouse (rbi), Nathan Cox 2-4 (rbi) Jacob Mercer (rbi), Brandon Agee (rbi), SC: Sears (rbi), Shawn Weikle (hr, 4 rbi).

Records: SC: 2-0; B: 0-3.