Sent weekly directly to your inbox!
Fred T. Foard pitcher Stewart Simmons, 18, fires a pitch to the plate during Tuesday night’s game in Hickory. Simmons was the winning pitcher in the Tigers’ 9-8 win over the Red Tornadoes.
It was a rough night for pitchers on Tuesday at the David Craft Baseball Complex, but visiting Fred T. Foard got just enough on the mound and an extra run when it counted to escape from Hickory by a 9-8 final.
“Overall, just glad to get out of here with a conference win. That was a tough, gritty game,” said Fred T. Foard coach Channon Vogel. “Hopefully that will make us better in the long run.”
The game had both peaks and one big valley for the Red Tornadoes. Hickory scored three runs in the first inning and then its offense fell dormant until the sixth frame when the Red Tornadoes, down 8-3, rallied with four runs. Both teams added a single run in their final at-bats.
“I told the guys we were excited about the end of the game. I wish the middle innings would have been a little bit better,” said Hickory coach David Craft. “A little bit too little too late.”
The Red Tornadoes scored three unearned runs in the first inning to grab a quick 3-0 lead thanks to a pair of walks, a Foard error and a two-out, two-run single by Blake Kiser. Hickory made that lead stand up until the third inning.
The Tigers sent a total of 25 hitters to the plate in a three-inning stretch, scoring three runs apiece in the third and fourth innings and two more in the fifth. Six of the eight Foard hits came in those three innings, four by the bottom half of the Tigers’ batting order.
“We made some adjustments at the bottom of the lineup that really worked well,” Vogel said. “We got some production out of the bottom three which was a good sign.”
Kylan Bolick had two base hits, drove in two runs and scored twice for the Tigers. Josh Swink drew a bases-loaded walk and ripped a base hit that drove in another run for Foard, including the difference maker in the top of the seventh.
But Hickory’s pitching woes weren’t limited to the damage done by the Tigers’ bats. While four Red Tornadoes hurlers combined for 13 strikeouts, they also issued 12 free passes and hit four batters. Three Foard runs were forced in during bases-loaded situations by walks and a hit batter.
But Foard did not score as much as it could have given the number of base runners the Tigers had. They left 15 on base, 10 in scoring position and the bases loaded in both the fourth and fifth innings.
“We left a lot of runs out there,” noted Vogel.
Hickory tried to get back in the game in the bottom of the fifth and loaded the bases with no outs thanks to an infield error, a base hit to left by Henry Stewart and a free pass to Boone Herman.
But Connor Peschel, the third of five Foard pitchers to toe the rubber, came in and retired the side without a run. First, he received some outstanding defensive support from Bolick at second base. Bolick went into shallow right-center and made a catch falling down on a blooper off the bat of Isaiah McDowell. Then Peschel fanned the next two Hickory batters to complete the Houdini-like escape from the bases-loaded jam.
“That was a big turning point there obviously, because if they get one or two there then it’s a tie game later on,” said Vogel. “He (Peschel) did a tremendous job coming in and throwing strikes.”
But the Red Tornadoes were not to be denied and got their offense rolling the following inning. Hickory scored four runs, all with two outs. Stewart’s second hit of the game drove in Eli Rose. Then McDowell smashed a three-run, bases-loaded double to deep left field to make the score 8-7.
“It’s a good sign. It’s a good sign to keep battling,” said Craft of the Red Tornadoes’ comeback. “Trying to win every game at home in the conference, that’s big. Wish we had this one back, but we can’t.”
Both ballclubs scored a single tally in the seventh. Swink drove in Bolick with a base hit for the Tigers and Ellis Chappell scored on a wild pitch for Hickory. But with the tying run on second base in the form of Hickory’s Rose, Swink got the final two outs of the game on strikeouts.
“They’re always a very scrappy, well-coached team. They never give up. I knew it was going to be a battle to the end, even when it was 8-3,” said Vogel. “I’m just proud of my guys. Got down early and made some mistakes defensively. They fought through it and the offense showed up.”
For the Red Tornadoes, it was a case of coming up one hit short at the opportune times. Hickory stranded nine base runners, five in scoring position from the fourth inning on.
“We just didn’t get that timely hit late,” Craft said. “We did some good things and hopefully we’ll get better.”
Bolick and Blake Powell drove in two runs each for Foard. Peschel and Braxton Tramel each scored three runs. Hayden Tabor and Peschel each stole three bases.
Stewart Simmons, the second of five Foard pitchers, was credited with the win. He allowed one hit, struck out five and walked three. Swink worked the seventh inning and got the save.
For Hickory, Stewart finished with two hits and an RBI and McDowell had the three-run double, the lone extra-base hit of the game. Kiser had a two-run single.
McDowell was tagged with the loss for Hickory.
Foard, now 7-2 overall and 5-1 in league play, remains one game back of St. Stephens in the Western Foothills 3A Conference. The Tigers will host St. Stephens on Friday following tonight’s nonconference game at Maiden.
Hickory is 4-5 overall and 2-4 in Western Foothills 3A contests. The Red Tornadoes host Bunker Hill in nonconference action tonight before entertaining Statesville in a league contest on Friday.
Fred T. Foard;003;320;1;—;9;8;2
Hickory;300;004;1;—;8;5;0
WP: Stewart Simmons
LP: Isaiah McDowell
Sent weekly directly to your inbox!
CATAWBA — For the first time since 2018, the Bandys baseball team is on a seven-game winning streak. The Trojans defeated visiting Bunker Hill…
There is a big week ahead, as teams begin to create separation in their respective conferences in various sports. Lot of action with first pla…
LENOIR — The Bandys baseball team shut out host West Caldwell on Friday, earning an 11-0 victory in five innings behind a combined one-hitter …
Since the start of the 2021 season, Fred T. Foard’s girls soccer team has been among the top defenses in the state. With that in mind, Hickory…
Bandys senior Gabby Edwards, seated, signed her national letter of intent this week to play volleyball at Pfeiffer University this fall.
NEWTON — This past Tuesday, the Fred T. Foard baseball team handed East Lincoln its first loss in 2022. But the Tigers were unable to carry th…
Hickory’s boys tennis team knocked off crosstown rival St. Stephens in a battle of unbeaten squads during Thursday’s home match in Hickory, wi…
Bandys senior Parker DeHart, seated, signed his national letter of intent this week to play football at Guilford College this fall.
The St. Stephens softball team knocked off visiting Statesville by an 18-0 final in five innings on Tuesday in Hickory, with Indians pitcher M…
Fred T. Foard pitcher Stewart Simmons, 18, fires a pitch to the plate during Tuesday night’s game in Hickory. Simmons was the winning pitcher in the Tigers’ 9-8 win over the Red Tornadoes.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.