Concordia 9s and 10s get walkoff win, 7-6

Published 12:01 am Saturday, July 20, 2013

VIDALIA — As soon as the ball was hit to the outfield, Dylan LaPrairie only had to wait for the catch to be made.

Because the ball was hit too deeply into the outifeld for the Bossier 9- and 10-year-old All-Stars to make a play at home.

With the game tied 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth inning, LaPrairie watched a fly ball by teammate Sam Mosby sail into center field. After the catch was made, LaPrairie tagged up and scored to give the Concordia Dixie Youth 9- and 10-year-olds a 7-6 walkoff win in the regional tournament Friday.

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Though he ran hard from third, LaPrairie said it actually wasn’t the hardest he’s ever run. He was just eager to score and get the win for his team.

“It felt pretty good to win,” LaPrairie said.

And Mosby said he knew going into the at-bat that all he needed to do was hit it to the outfield, since his team had a runner on third with less than two outs.

“Don’t get an out,” Mosby said he was thinking during the at-bat.

For Concordia coach Shaun McDonald, the win was thrilling after watching the lead change several times, only to see Bossier tie it in the top of the sixth.

“It was nerve-racking for sure,” McDonald said. “It was a close game, and the boys played hard. It was a six-inning ball game. It was a good feeling (seeing the walkoff).”

Bossier scored two quick runs in the top of the first to start things off, but Concordia cut the lead in half in the bottom half of the frame when Rhet McDonald hit a sacrifice fly that scored Peyton Fort from third.

In the bottom of the third, the 9s and 10s took a 3-2 lead when Mosby scored on a passed ball and Blake Tarver came home on a double by Fort.

A sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth inning for Bossier tied the game 3-3, but Concordia came right back and scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth. Rhet McDonald and Cody Brown both crossed home on an error, and Caleb Smith scored on a single by Drew Brown, making it 6-3 Concordia.

Bossier slowly chipped away at Concordia’s lead over the final two innings, with two runs scoring in the top of the fifth inning and one run scoring in the top of the sixth, tying the game 6-6.

Cody Brown got the win for Concordia, pitching the final two innings. Fort started the game for the 9s and 10s, pitching four innings and tallying six strikeouts. Because he pitched more than three innings, Fort will be unavailable to pitch again until Sunday.

“We were just wanting him to stay in for a close game,” Shaun McDonald said.

Fort and Mosby both went 2-for-2 with two doubles in the game. Concordia will take on Winnsboro at 5 p.m. today.