A late surge by visiting Hilliard Darby (Ohio) dealt the Warren East baseball team a 6-4 loss on Tuesday night at Raider Ballpark.
The Raiders (3-2) – who have dropped back-to-back games – led 4-3 after four innings but three runs from the Panthers in the sixth (2) and seventh (1) innings sent them out on top.
After opening the game with a quick 1-2-3 defensive frame, Warren East scored twice in the bottom of the first to take a 2-0 lead.
Ryan Hawks – a Louisville signee – led off with a triple to set the tone, and Nolan Ford followed up with a double to score Hawks and record the first run. A dropped third strike with Jonah Vance at-bat scored Ford from third and doubled the Raiders’ advantage.
Hilliard Darby bounced back in the fourth, scoring three runs on four hits to jump in front 3-2. Warren East quickly regrouped and plated a pair of their own in the bottom half of the set to take a 4-3 lead into the fifth.
A two-out, two-run homerun from Garrett Mudgett in the top of the sixth put Hilliard Darby up 5-4. Facing two strikes, Mudgett received a fastball from Raiders’ pitcher Austin Comer and sent it over the right field fence.
The Panthers extended their lead to 6-4 on an Andrew Patrick sac fly in the top of the seventh – and East wouldn’t be able to overcome its deficit in the bottom half of the frame and fell short.
Warren East returns to action Thursday at home against Forest Park (Ferdinand, Illinois). First pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
