Kirkley Delivers Walk-Off Hit as COS Giants Defeats Reedley, 3-2
| Final (11) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
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2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 2 |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
VISALIA, Calif. – College of the Sequoias battled back from an early deficit and walked it off in extra innings Tuesday afternoon, defeating Reedley College 3-2 in 11 innings at the COS Baseball Field.
Reedley struck first in the second inning, taking advantage of two RBI singles to grab a 2-0 lead. Reedley's Auston Sharp drove in the game's first run before Owen Lindstrom added another RBI single later in the frame.
The Giants responded in the fifth inning to even the score. Kadyn Kirkley (Hanford HS) started the rally before Hayden Elchlepp (Stockdale HS) lined an RBI double to left field to cut the deficit to 2-1. Moments later, Walker Selley (Bermuda) delivered an RBI single to bring Elchlepp home and tie the game at 2-2.
College of the Sequoias' pitching staff kept the game locked in a stalemate from there. Hudson Groh (Liberty HS) started and went five innings, allowing two runs while keeping Reedley from extending its early lead. Carson Hindmarsh followed with two scoreless innings, and Zachery Tackett (Kingsburg HS) added two more shutout frames to keep the game tied into extras.
Chance Jasso (Hanford HS) took over in the 10th and delivered two scoreless innings, setting the stage for the Giants in the bottom of the 11th.
In the decisive inning, Joshua Barajas (Central East HS) reached base and moved into scoring position before Payton Garcia (Redwood HS) advanced the rally. Kirkley then delivered the game-winning hit, lining an RBI single to bring Barajas home and seal the 3-2 walk-off victory.
Kirkley finished 2-for-4 with the game-winning RBI, while Elchlepp, Selley, Caleb Catalano (San Francisco) and Garcia each added hits as the Giants totaled seven on the afternoon.
"We showed a lot of toughness and fight today," Head Coach Scott Laird said. "Our pitchers kept us in the game, and the guys kept competing at the plate until we found a way to get the big hit at the end."
