WEST POINT — Game two of Oak Hill Academy’s second round Midsouth Association of Independent Schools playoff series against Marshall Academy turned into a marathon.
When the bottom of the ninth came around, that marathon turned into a full-on sprint to the outfield as John Leyton Lewis sent the Raiders to the north state final with a walk-off single for a 7-6 win.
“I’ve been in that spot a lot in my life and I knew that I had the ability to put the bat on the ball,” Lewis said. “I had a runner on second and early in the count, it was a good spot to do it. He hung a curveball over the plate and I just put the barrel on the ball.”
Coming back from a two-run deficit in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Raiders (17-8) and Patriots went to extra innings, needing the full nine to decide a winner.
Oak Hill was leading 4-3 headed into the sixth inning with Lewis, who took over on the mound for starter Gunter Reed, ran into trouble, giving up the lead as Marshall scored three runs.
A 6-4 Patriot lead quickly became 6-6 with timely hitting and smart base running from John Ross Craven, an RBI double and scoring off a wild pitch.
“They didn’t quit,” Oak Hill head coach John Siary said. “Our guys didn’t quit. Give Marshall credit, they’re going to come after you. They don’t stop either, so it was a battle of wills in this game.”
The Raiders had a prime chance to walk it off in the bottom of the eighth inning, loading the bases with one out before failing to score, which looked to potentially open the door for the Pats.
However, Lewis was ruthless on the mound, retiring the side leading to the walk-off in the ninth that started with a double from Ethan Gazaway, which landed just in front of a diving Marshall center fielder.
Gazaway was pulled for pinch runner Tanner Flynt, who provided speed at second, and Lewis provided the clutch swing that sent the Raiders into a frenzy, celebrating in short center.
“It was a head-to-head game,” Lewis said. “No one budged for a while. I knew if I could get in a spot, I trusted myself enough to pull through and I trusted my teammates as well … It’s my first year here and I love these guys like family. These guys have welcomed me with open arms and I’m having the most fun baseball season I’ve ever had.”
Up next for the Raiders is Kirk Academy, who stormed back from a 1-0 deficit to take the final two games of its series against North Delta School.
The job is not done, and despite a massive celebration on Thursday, it’s back to work this weekend.
“To see them get through that, it was a big step forward for them,” Siary said. “It gives us momentum going into north state. It only gets harder from here.”
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