The Yavapai Roughriders came into the NJCAA D1 World Series as the second best home run hitting team in the nation, 110 on the season. Chattahoochee Valley certainly had their hands full trying to contain this Roughrider lineup on the defensive side.
Yavapai scored five runs in the first inning seeming to have all the momentum very early. The Roughriders got help by five walks from the Pirates starter Jordan Lee. Having base runners on allowed Yavapai to show case their speed on the base paths and with the bats. Chattahoochee Valley matched the five runs by Yavapai with three of their own in the bottom half of the second. Making this one a whole new ball game going to the third. Alexis Cruz, DH, for Yavapai came up in the top half of the third and hit a 2-run home run increasing the Roughrider lead to 7-3. At this point everyone except for Chattahoochee Valley and their fans thought this one is leaning towards a run rule.
The Pirates pulled their starter Jordan Lee and put in reliever Chase Burks, who from the 5th inning on blanked the Roughriders. Burks blanked the Roughriders the rest of the game, but made three stellar defensive plays himself. Those defensive plays include two pickoffs on Roughrider runners at first and second, erasing possible runs. Burks also threw a wild pitch then covered home making a play at the plate getting the out at home, erasing another Roughrider run that’s three if your counting. All this defense keeping the Pirates in the game, for a huge bottom half of the 7th that turned the momentum.
The 7th started off with Tyler Lynn leading it off for the Pirates. Lynn got a pitch he liked taking it to right-center field for a solo-homerun. Lynn’s homerun started a wave for three more runs, four in the inning, for the Pirates. At the end of seven Chattahoochee Valley gained the lead 9-8 and that would be the final score of the game.
Chattahoochee Valley moved on to the next round in the winners bracket, this is both teams first game of the tourney. Yavapai fell into the losers bracket with the loss. Chattahoochee Valley plays the winner of Iowa Western vs. NW Florida State in the next round. Yavapai plays the winner loser of Iowa Western vs. NW Florida State in their next game down in the losers bracket.
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