Despite being outhit 11-8 and committing six errors on Friday, the Heritage Christian Academy Warriors found a way past visiting Crittenden County after Cadyn Travis swiped home in the bottom of the eighth for a 9-8 victory.
The Warriors’ rally avenged an 8-3 loss to the Rockets earlier this season to snap a three-game skid and improve to 7-15. The Rockets slipped to 8-13 with their third loss in four outings.
HCA broke a 1-1 tie with back-to-back RBI doubles from Cadyn Travis and Ethan Miles to build a four-run cushion in the second, but Quinn Summers’ two-run inside-the-park home run pulled the Rockets to within a run at 5-4 in the fourth.
A Crittenden error allowed the Warriors to push another run across in the fifth before Chase Conyer answered with a two-run double to knot the game at 6-6 after six innings.
The Rockets took their first lead of the night on an RBI single by Conyer and a Warrior error to start the eighth. HCA loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame on a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch, and a run on a passed ball trimmed the lead to 8-7 with no outs.
Another run on a passed ball tied things up, and after another hit-by-pitch to again load the bases, Travis stole home to give the Warriors a come-from-behind walk-off victory.
Jayden Nichols earned the win on the mound, allowing four runs, two earned, on five hits with a walk and five strikeouts over four innings.
Miles finished with three hits and drove in two runs for HCA, and Collin Outland collected two hits.
Keagan Young-Pearson suffered the loss for the Rockets, giving up nine runs, eight earned, on eight hits with six strikeouts and eight walks.
Conyer finished 3/4 with three RBI, and Summers had two hits and drove in two runs for Crittenden.
Heritage Christian will host University Heights Academy on Tuesday. Up next for the Rockets is a trip to Ballard Memorial on Saturday.
