WEST POINT — John Leyton Lewis had just gotten off the mound after his fifth inning of relief for Oak Hill Academy baseball.
Lewis was due up fourth in the bottom of the ninth inning for the Raiders, in a game knotted at 6 with Marshall Academy in the second round of the Midsouth Association of Independent Schools Class 4A playoffs.
There was no guarantee he would get up to the plate, but in front of him, Ethan Gazaway doubled with two outs, putting him in scoring position.
All Lewis needed was a hit and the Raiders would secure themselves a spot in the North State championship. He laced a single to right, pinch runner Tanner Flynt scored, and Oak Hill won, 7-6, causing a mob scene on the field in West Point.
“We called a hit-and-run,” Oak Hill head coach John Siary said. “Actually, … John Leyton said let’s hit-and-run, so I said let’s do it. The kids actually won that game, not me.”
Lewis came to Oak Hill (17-8) this season, and in his first year as a Raider, he came up with one of the biggest hits in recent memory in program history.
“It’s my first year here and I love these guys like family,” Lewis said. “These guys have welcomed me with open arms and I’m having the most fun baseball season I’ve ever had.”
As much as that hit will be remembered, his pitching kept the Raiders in the game once he stepped on the mound.
The senior encountered trouble in the sixth inning, allowing three runs as the Patriots took a 6-4 lead, but Oak Hill answered back with two runs, sending things to extra innings.
Lewis gave up six hits and three runs in five relief innings, holding Marshall scoreless over his last three innings before his walk-off hit.
“I knew if I could get in a spot, I trusted myself enough to pull through and I trusted my teammates as well,” Lewis said. “… He hung a curveball over the plate and I just put the barrel on the ball.”
Oak Hill wouldn’t have gone to extras without that two-run rally in the sixth, ignited by senior John Ross Craven, who doubled home a run and came around to score on a wild pitch.
He and Lewis both had three hits and one run scored on the evening.
Seniors made the difference on Thursday, with starter Gunter Reed giving up three runs over four innings and infielder Colin Boyd giving the Raiders a 4-3 lead in the fourth with a two-run single.
Up next for Oak Hill is the North State championship against Kirk Academy, and the next step on the mountain to climb.
“We’re really excited,” Siary said. “I don’t think we’ve gone to North State yet at the 4A level. It’s big for these guys and for the sport. We’re just going to keep grinding.”
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