My son Nick helps put our team in The Final Four in The Colt World Series!!!
http://www.wlfi.com/dpp/news/sports_wlfi_lafayette_Lafayette_advances_to_medal_round_200908092230
For winning pitcher Nick Stone, closer Tanner Hieatt and first baseman Spencer Long, Sunday night's Colt World Series game against Mexico was an opportunity to destroy some demons.
Stone gave up the game-winning hit in Friday's loss to Tampa. Hieatt suffered a one-run loss to Puerto Rico on opening night. Long's defensive miscues in a 2008 CWS loss to Mexico cost Lafayette a medal round berth.
But when they were needed most Sunday in front of 2,454 fans, all three helped deliver Lafayette a thrilling 4-3 victory and a berth in Tuesday night's medal round.
Lafayette, Mexico and Puerto Rico each finished 2-2 in the Red Division, but Lafayette advances by virtue of the fewest runs allowed (13) among those three. Puerto Rico allowed 15, and Mexico allowed 26.
Stone earned the victory with 32/3 innings of relief, striking out three and walking none. Hieatt earned the save by retiring Gilberto Ortega on a long fly to left with the tying and winning runs on base in the bottom of the seventh.
Long's sixth-inning double was the centerpiece in a three-run inning that extended Lafayette's lead to 4-0. While Stone was upset when coach Dave Alexander replaced him with Hieatt in the seventh, the Central Catholic sophomore was thrilled with the end result.
"I probably pitched the best I've pitched all season for this Lafayette team," Stone said. "I'm glad to finally get out here and do some good work for my team. I threw first-pitch fastballs to the first few batters, but they were contacting that, so I started throwing first-pitch curveballs, and they didn't seem to like that too well.
"Easily, this was one of the best games I've been involved in. I tried to forget what's in the past and just go out there like it's the first game of the tourney. This was the game that mattered."
After an 0-2 start, Lafayette has made an improbable comeback that gives them a shot at Santa Clara, Calif. on Tuesday night. Hieatt wondered if the season was over when Ortega hit a shot to left with two outs.
"I was a nervous wreck in that last at-bat," Hieatt said. "After those base hits they had, I was nervous, but it ended up being a good outcome. I threw (Ortega) a first-pitch fastball, and at first, I thought it was over our left fielder's head.
"Then, I saw that he could get to it. I was so happy when he caught it."
Long, who was 2-for-3 against Mexico, also helped turn two slick double plays.
"The double did two things for us," Long said. "It boosted my confidence at the plate, because I had a rough start. It also created a momentum shift in this game. It helped put us on top 4-0. The two double plays we turned also were big momentum shifts.
"We made the plays, and now we are in the medal round. This is what I've always wanted to do since I was a kid. Nick Stone came in and did a phenomenal job. He was a little ticked off when coach took him out, but I like to see a little fire when a guy comes out. Nick wanted it. Then Tanner came in and threw strikes."
Alexander said he went to Hieatt in part because Stone had pitched too well to risk being the losing pitcher.
"My philosophy is that when a pitcher is on the mound, I don't want him to get the loss," Alexander said. "I'm going to see that he doesn't have to face the winning run. I wanted to get Nick out before he could get a possible loss.
"When a guy throws several really good innings, you want to get him out of there if you feel you have a closer who can do the job. Nick absolutely did what we had to have him do. My problem was that he threw to first on a pickoff in the last inning when we're up four runs. That run meant nothing. Then he threw some pitches way out of the strike zone."
Alexander is happy for Long and his team.
"Spencer Long had an excellent game for us," Alexander said. "He turned a 3-6-3 double play, which at this level, you don't see very often. Then he absolutely got the hit we had to have in the sixth inning.
"I'm proud of these guys, but I don't think the 0-2 start affects them. I'm absolutely proud of the way these guys responded."
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