Saltillo Lions Win District Opener In Comeback Fashion

Just a few games into their season, the Saltillo Lions hosted Fruitvale recently for their district opener. With a record of 2-5 on the season, the Lions were looking to turn things around in time for district play. 

Things got off to a rough start, when the Lions allowed four runs in the opening frame. From then on, starting pitcher Colby McCoy calmed down and was able to find a rhythm. 

While the Lions couldn’t get any offense going in the early innings, they were also able to keep Fruitvale off the board for the next few innings, keeping the score at 4-0. It wasn’t util the fourth inning when Fruitvale was able to break things open again, adding another three runs to their total to push their lead to 7-0. 

Saltillo never got discouraged, answering back in the bottom of the frame with a huge inning of their own. The Lions plated six runs in the bottom of the fourth, putting themselves right back in the mix of things, trialing just 7-6. 

Now with a brand new ball game, the Lions turned to Jacob Sexton on the mound. Sexton allowed a run in the top of the fifth, but was flawless outside of that. 

Now trialing by two runs, Saltillo kept the offense going in the bottom of the fifth. They were able to plate a pair of runs of their own, tying things up at 8-8 going into the sixth.

In the sixth, Sexton was able to keep Fruitvale off the board, giving his team a chance to win the game in the bottom of the frame. The Lions were able to do exactly that, scoring the final run they needed and winning the game 9-8. 

Sexton got the win, throwing two innings and allowing just one run. He allowed just two hits in that time, and struck out two batters, picking up the win in the Lions district opener. 

For McCoy, he threw four innings and allowed seven runs. He allowed just three hits in his four innings of work, but walked four. He also struck out four batters.

Offensively Saltillo was led by multiple players with multiple hits, including Coy Collins. Collins was 2-for-4 on the day and drove in two runs. 

Gunner Tarver and Tobin Porter each had two hits on the day as well, going a combined 4-for-6 and driving in one run each. Jordan Metcalf also had a strong game, going 1-for-3 and tying Collins for a team-high two RBI. 

The win improves the Lions record on the season to 3-5 and starts them off in district play with a record of 1-0. They will be back in action Friday, with a road match against Como-Pickton at 6:30 p.m.