Carrollton baseball team captures 12th win of season against Athens
CARROLLTON - It’s not everyday that you’re given a second chance.
Alex Bowker was one of those lucky boys in the bottom of the seventh inning as the Carrollton Hawks were trailing 4-3 to the Athens Warriors.
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With one out and freshman, Gabe Jones on second base, Bowker popped up a pitch in foul territory near third base.
However, the Athens third basemen misjudged the flight of the ball and it harmlessly landed.
Bowker had new life.
“I thought he was going to catch it and go to the bench with two outs,” Bowker said. “It gave us life and made the most of it.”
The Carrollton sophomore proceeded to rip a double to center field to drive in Jones and then took second base when the ball was thrown to home plate.
It was his first hit of the day and perhaps his biggest of the season.
The following batter, Nathan Walker, poked a single to right field to give the Hawks a 5-4 walk-off win over the Warriors as Bowker scored the winning run.
“I knew as soon as Nate hit it that it was going over his [first basemen’s] head. So, good on his part,” Bowkers said with a laugh.
“The kids stepped up and never lost focus,” Carrollton head coach Greg Pohlman said. “They never lose confidence. They got up and got a hit when they needed to.”
Athens is a member of the Sangamon Conference, which is an all 2A conference, while Carrollton is 1A.
“We haven’t played a team like Athens,” Pohlman said. “They’ve been good year in and year out and that’s why we play them because we like to play good teams.”
Kolton Bottom was 2 for 2 at the plate with two RBI’s, while Walker was 2 for 4 with a double and the game-winning single.
Bottom picked up the win himself as he pitched the final two innings giving up no runs and hits.
Blake Struble got the start and pitched five innings for the Hawks.
Struble gave up four runs, two of them were unearned and four hits.
He struck out three Warriors and walked four.
The Warriors scored on an RBI single in the first inning, but the Hawks pegged them back in the bottom half with two runs.
Carrollton added an insurance run in the third inning, but the Athens bats came alive in the top of the fourth inning as they tied the game and took the lead in the fifth on a fielder’s choice.
This was the first game of a double-header against Athens in Carrollton on Saturday.
The Hawks came into the day with an undefeated record at 11-0, however the perfect season was no more as Athens won the second game 4-3.
“These kids just work hard. They’re a group that comes to practice and they work and it’s paid off,” Pohlman said.
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