By PAUL GOTHAM
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — Kyle Evans connected on a one-out base hit in the sixth inning and brought home the go-ahead run as the Lyons Lions rallied to beat the East Eagles, 5-2 in the consolation game of the 2019 East High Tournament.
Evans turned on first-pitch fastball and plated Scott Norris and Andrew Norris with the second and third runs of the inning.
“It felt really good off the bat,” the senior said. “It gave us the lead, came home with the win. It feels really good.
“I was excited because I knew this was my moment. I took a deep breath and I could feel something in it, so I was like I’m going to get up there and be aggressive.”
The Lions which managed just one hit through the first five innings connected on five base hits in the decisive sixth when they scored all five of their runs.
“For the most part the whole team was thinking about being aggressive,” Evans added. “That was the bottom line. We sat there looking at too many pitches. That’s why the offense was struggling.”
James Gravino reached on a hit by pitch to start the inning and stole second. Scott Norris drove in the first run with a base hit. Andrew Norris followed with a single. A stolen base put runners at second and third. One out later, Evans delivered.
“All we said before the sixth started was ‘let’s square up some balls on the barrel and get some guys on base,'” Lyons head coach Dean Schott II said. “We were playing too well for a loss to be our fate.”
Ethan Gould singled, and Xavier Reeves capped the rally with a two-run single.
Andrew Norris allowed two runs on four hits and one walk over a complete-game effort to pick up the win. The right-hander struck out six. He set down nine of 10 from the fourth through the end of the sixth inning.
“You saw him at the end; he’s such a competitor,” Schott said “He works his tail off. He’s a bulldog. He throws strikes and changes speeds well.”
Angel Silva took the tough-luck loss. The East starter fanned eight batters. He retired six of the first seven hitters he faced and nine straight heading into the sixth frame.
Michael Conrow finished 2-for-4 with a stolen base and a run scored for the Eagles. Christian Diaz reached on an error and scored a run. Alex Figueroa singled, drove in a run and swiped a pair of bases. Tyrone Roundtree had a base hit, reached on an error and stole three bases.
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