FORT WALTON BEACH — Baker School’s softball will be hoping the breaks go its way Thursday and Friday as the Gators close out District 3-1A play against rivals Jay and Freeport.
The way the season has gone the Gators are due some good luck.
Baker was hoping for a few lucky bounces Monday against Class 5A Choctawhatchee. The Gators hung tough, but mistakes by Baker combined with timely plays by the Indians gave Choctaw a 7-6 win.
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“We played well in spots,” Baker Coach John Carlisle said, “but that’s kind of been where we have been all year. Even with all the negatives working against us we managed to keep it a close ball game.
“We were able make some plays when we needed to and got some good pitches when we needed to and kept it close.”
Trailing 7-4 in the seventh inning Baker attempted to rally back.
Tori Foster led off the inning with a line shot that looked as if it would get over the head of Indian shortstop Angelica Johnson. Johnson timed her jump to perfection and snared the ball in the top of the webbing of her glove.
As Johnson hit the ground the ball came lose. She still had the presence of mind to make the throw to first and nip the speedy Foster for the first out of the inning. Johnson’s play looked even bigger two batters later.
Emily Stewart followed Foster with a single up the middle. Mykala McCranie was next and she hit a long home run over the fence in left field to pull the Gators to within a run of the Indians. Had Johnson not retired Foster the home run would have tied the game.
Baker took a quick lead in the first inning when Foster led off the game with an infield single. She later scored as McCranie was safe on an error.
Choctaw tied the game in the bottom of the first as Baker pitcher Alexis Mitchem struggled with her control. Mitchem gave up two hits and walked two batters in the inning. The second walk, to Sara Owens, scored Macie Gray, who reached on a single.
Mitchem would continue to struggle with her control throughout the game. She walked 10 Indian batters. Five of the batters that walked came around to score.
Choctaw scored two runs in the second inning, one in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in the sixth.
It seemed as if the Gators (5-12) had an answer for almost every Indian score. McCranie was part of the equation most of the time driving in five of the six Baker runs.
Stewart drove in the other Gator run with a single in the third inning that scored Bethany McCranie.
Baker scored two runs in the third, one in the fifth and two in the sixth. Foster scored three runs for Baker.
“We have to quit finding a way to shoot ourselves in the foot,” Carlisle said. “We managed to fight back and that’s the resiliency of these girls.
“We gave ourselves a chance and came up short by one.”
Email News Bulletin Sports Editor Randy Dickson, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Choctaw holds off Baker (PHOTOS, VIDEO)