What started as a rocky Senior Night for the Mitchell Mountaineers varsity baseball team turned into a powerful comeback win, as they stormed past Avery with a final score of 12-4 on Friday.
The game began with trouble for Mitchell — Avery jumped out early, scoring three runs in the first inning and adding another in the second. By the end of the third, the Mountaineers were down 0-4.
When senior Jace Blanton was asked about the game, he said “It’s not over till it’s over,” and talked about the mountains fighting back against whoever it was they played.
In the third inning, Mitchell started to catch up. Kai Pittman narrowly missed a diving catch in the outfield, but Jacoby Dale followed up with a solid hit down the middle to get on base. Though the inning ended without a score, the team was finding its rhythm.
The fourth inning sparked the comeback. Kaden Buchanan was hit by a pitch to reach base, and Riley Silver delivered a hit to bring in two runs, cutting Avery’s lead to 4-2.
The fifth inning really showed the Mountaineers coming back for the win. A.J. Mackey had a hard-hit ball that went to the fence, bringing in two runs and tying the game 4-4. Jaxon Rohr followed with a single to give Mitchell the lead.
Kaden Buchanan, Samuel Jones, Riley Silver each added one more to the scoreboard after that. Kai Pittman delivered the biggest hit of the inning — a triple that brought in another run. Jacoby Dale ended the inning with a fly ball that allowed for a teammate score the Mountaineers’ 11th run of the game.
By the end of the fifth, Mitchell had flipped the game over from the beginning, leading 11-4.
The Mountaineers added one more run in the sixth to seal the 12-4 victory. It was a good win on a night honoring the seniors who have contributed to the recent wins for the varsity Mountaineers.
With a rough start behind them and a great fifth inning to remember, Mitchell walked off the field with another strong win and a Senior Night to be proud of.