Lone Tree wins in a walk-off

Tyler Bell's home run in 7th inning sends Lions to playoff win

By Paul D. Bowker
Posted 7/11/21

LISBON

Tyler Bell needed just one good swing.

And with that home run swing Saturday night, Bell sent Lone Tree’s baseball team into the second round of a Class 1A district tournament …

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Lone Tree wins in a walk-off

Tyler Bell's home run in 7th inning sends Lions to playoff win

Posted

LISBON

Tyler Bell needed just one good swing.

And with that home run swing Saturday night, Bell sent Lone Tree’s baseball team into the second round of a Class 1A district tournament with a walk-off 5-3 victory over Wapello.

With the score tied 3-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning and one runner on base, Bell slammed a pitch over the left field fence to give the Lions their second win over Wapello in three games this season. As he rounded the bases at Lisbon City Park, his teammates gathered at home plate to welcome their game-winning hero.

“Amazing.  A walk-off is a walk-off,” Bell said after the game.

It was exactly the kind of finish that Lions head coach Mike Close was hoping for.

“It was great,” Close said. “We’ve always talked all season that we’ve got to be able to have a chance to win. We put ourselves in that position.”

The Lions (10-15) rallied from one run down, scoring once in the sixth inning and twice in the seventh to end Wapello’s season.

Lone Tree faces Tri-Rivers East champion Lisbon (21-13) in the Class 1A District 6 semifinals at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Lisbon City Park.  Lisbon, which has averaged more than 14 runs in its last three games, topped winless Columbus 16-0 in the quarterfinals Saturday night.

Lone Tree pitchers Adam Knock, who started Saturday’s game against Wapello, and Cade Shield, who pitched the final three innings, figure prominently in the pitching plans for Tuesday.

“We’re gonna have our best arms on our squad going Tuesday, as well. Hopefully we’re sitting pretty good,” Close said.

Bell, who leads the Lions with a .406 batting average, drove in a game-high four runs Saturday. Knock scored on a ground-out by Bell in the first inning and scored again in the third inning on a sacrifice fly to center field by Bell. After Shield was hit by a pitch with one out in the seventh, a determined Bell powered into a fastball and launched it over the fence.

“I wanted to win this game,” Bell said.

Until Bell’s game-winning homer, Knock was dominant on the pitching mound for the Lions. He struck out seven and pitched a two-hit shutout through four innings. But after his first three pitches of the fifth innings were balls, Close replaced Knock with Shield. Knock had thrown 65 pitches, and the idea was to save his arm for Tuesday’s game against Lisbon.

“Our goal is to win. We wanted to keep him under the pitch count so that he could come back and throw Tuesday,” Close said.

The Indians scored two runs in the fifth inning to tie the score at 2-2 and scored a go-ahead run in the sixth on a two-out error by Lone Tree shortstop Joe Boxwell, but Shield shut the Indians out the rest of the way. Combined, Knock and Shield struck out 11 and gave up 7 hits.

“They’ve been solid for us all year,” Close said. “They’ve probably been our top two guys, being able to keep us in games. We’ve got to be able to make a few more plays, take advantage of some opportunities, behind them when they do pitch well for us. We’re starting to do that. That’s something I think we’re starting to do and it’s exciting to be advancing and playing another game next week.”

The Lions tied the game up in the sixth inning on a double by Mathew Hemsted and a hit by Gavin Pourroy.

Knock led Lone Tree with two hits, and five Lone Tree runners, including Knock, had stolen bases.

Lone Tree, baseball, Tyler Bell