Noxapater rallies to North finals
By By Marty Stamper / EMG sports assistant
April 30, 2003
NOXAPATER When you have a team batting average of .360 for the year, you don't let a little thing like an eight-run deficit get the best of you, even if you're in the playoffs.
Noxapater certainly didn't last Monday, as the Tigers rallied from a 13-5 deficit to defeat Smithville 15-14 to take the Class 1A best-of-three second round series two games to none.
The teams combined for 28 hits.
Noxapater had 16 hits with Joe Edwards and Charles Johnson both getting four and David Edwards and Sed Eichelberger both picking up three hits.
Noxapater (21-6) advances to the Class 1A North State championship series with old rival Hamilton (17-9). Game One is set for Thursday at Hamilton at 7 p.m. Game Two will be at Noxapater on Saturday with a time yet to be determined.
It took the Tigers awhile to get ready for Smithville Monday as the Seminoles held a 13-5 advantage through four and a half innings.
Six of the runs came on a pair of three-run homers from Noles catcher Matt Lenderman. Shane Williams had a two-run single and a one-run single with Justin Carithers and Dillon Crowder both having an RBI single.
Noxapater then erupted for eight runs on three hits, three walks, three errors, and a pair of hit batsmen in the bottom of the fifth to pull even at 13-13.
Of the three hits, Johnson had a single and an RBI double in the frame as the Tigers sent 14 batters to the plate. Cole Cremeen, William Snow, and Antonio Young drew consecutive bases-loaded walks with two more runs coming home when Eichelberger's ground ball up the middle was booted. Corey Coward had a sacrifice fly.
The Noles reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth as Crowder reached on an error and scored on a passed ball with two outs.
Young promptly tied the game at 14-14 with a leadoff homer to left field in the bottom of the sixth. Eichelberger followed with a towering solo shot one out later to put the Tigers up 15-14.
Eichelberger (3-0), Noxapater's third hurler of the day, shut the Noles out in the seventh as the Tigers clinched the series.
A.J. Murphy (5-6) went the distance for Smithville, 16-10.
Joe Edwards, who came in batting .354, had four singles and two RBIs for the Tigers. Johnson, who entered the game with a .368 average, went 4-for-4 with a pair of doubles and one RBI.
Eichelberger, hitting a hefty .500, got three hits including the eighth round tripper for the East Central Community College signee. David Edwards upped his .449 average with a 3-for-5 outing.
Third baseman Bruce Manning was hit by a pitch for the 15th and 16th time this season. He left the game after the second of two fifth inning beanings and did not return to the game.
Lenderman led the Noles as his three-run blasts in his first two at-bats left Tiger Field in nearly the identical spot in left field. Williams went 4-for-5 with three RBIs. Carithers and Crowder both had two hits.
