Late game heroics led to varsity wins in baseball and girls soccer for Midway over visiting Triton on Wednesday night.
In baseball, Midway scored four runs in the last two innings, taking a 4-3 win when Austin Peterson scored as Cameron Barefoot drew a bases-loaded walk.
“We needed that,” said Midway baseball coach Jason Fussell. “We hadn’t been playing well lately. We’ve been pitching well. We’ve hit it well, just been spaced out.
“We weren’t hot like we were at the beginning of the year. Our pitching has been lights out. The guys came around and that was a good team win. That’s what we needed, something like that. Because these are young guys and the maturity to come back late in the ball game says a lot.”
Triton baseball coach Joey Miriello cited late miscues as being costly, but was pleased with the improvement his team showed.
“Obviously nobody likes to lose,” Miriello said. “That’s frustrating. I thought we played well enough to win. I thought we played better than they did. We made some mental mistakes that cost us at times tonight. But the first time they played us, they beat us 13-4.
“Obviously, that shows how much we’ve improved between then and now. We’re starting two sophomores, two freshmen and a handful of juniors that have never experienced varsity play in this atmosphere against a team of this caliber.
“I’m very pleased with what they did tonight, other than the outcome. I think the pressure got to us a little bit late in that game and we made a couple of mental mistakes.”
Freshman Sawyer Sutton picked up the win on the mound for the Raiders (7-1). In three and two-thirds innings of relief, he gave up no runs on one hit, with seven strikeouts. Starter Chandler Williford pitched three and one-third innings, yielding one earned run on three hits and two walks with four strikeouts.
Christian Tyndall was the pitcher of record for the Hawks (1-9). In one relief inning, he yielded one earned run on one hit and three walks, with two strikeouts. Starter Greg Godwin pitched a strong five and one-third innings before leaving the game with an arm injury. He gave up three earned runs on four hits and three walks, with two strikeouts.
Barefoot had two hits, one RBI and one run scored to lead Midway at the plate.
Williford had one hit and one RBI. Cal Tyndall had one hit and one run scored. Sutton had one hit. Peterson scored twice.
Austin Riewestahl had two hits and one RBI for Triton. Godwin had two hits. Colton Neighbors, Ethan Hedgepeth and Bert Strickland scored one run apiece.
Triton scored one run in the first inning and Midway plated one in the third to tie it before the Hawks scored two more to regain the lead in the fourth.
Midway scored a pair of runs in the sixth inning to tie the game again at 3-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Peterson and Trevor Hobson each drew walks and Sutton singled to load the bases with one out before Barefoot drew a bases-loaded walk for the win.
Both teams will be participating in Easter tournaments that begin Saturday. Midway faces host Terry Sanford in the first round of the Bulldog Easter Tournament and Triton meets Clayton in the first round of the Johnston County Easter Invitational at South Johnston.
Midway avenges girls soccer loss
Midway scored twice within the final 20 minutes to take a 3-1 win on the soccer field, avenging a 2-0 March 9 loss at Triton.
Catawba signee Kasey McLamb and Carlie Carroll each had one goal and one assist and Candis Tyndall had one goal for the Raiders (6-3).
Carroll was credited with the game’s first goal with 6:49 left in the first half.
“We started slowly in the first half and their first goal was an own goal,” said Hawks coach Brian Foster.
Ana-Beth Brewer got the tying goal for Triton on a free kick.
The Hawks scored near the 23-minute mark in the second half.
With 16:11 left, McLamb scored on an assist from Carroll to reclaim the lead and Tyndall scored on an assist from McLamb with 7:29 left.
“They got a good goal from Kasey McLamb,” Foster said. “We had to gamble a little bit and gave up a third goal before the end of the game.”
Both teams return to action April 10 when Midway hosts East Central 2-A Conference opponent Goldsboro and Triton (4-4) is home to take on Tri-County Six 3-A Conference foe Southern Lee.