SECTION – It was a rough day at the office Saturday for the Cold Springs Eagles as they lost the decisive game three of the 2A state baseball playoffs, but more importantly, lost left fielder and pitcher Josh Freeman to a freak leg injury.
After starting pitcher Cody Anderson had retired the Section Lions in order, Cold Springs hung a crooked number on the scoreboard and looked poised to run away with the game. Freeman led off the game with a walk and a batter later he was joined on the bags by Tyler Rice who also walked. Jakob Ryer would then get his squarely in the side with a fastball to load the bases for Anderson. It didn’t take him long to cash in the RBI chance as he smashed a single to score a pumped up Freeman. DH Sean Dunn would follow suit and knock in Rice before Section was able to get the next two batters to ground out. After one half inning Cold Springs led 2-0.
Anderson pitched out of a small jam in the top of the second, escaping with no runs scored and bringing Cold Springs back to the plate. Freeman again would reach base, this time with a one-out single. As he led off from first, the Lions’ backstop hurled a snap throw down to first in an attempt to pick off Freeman. He made it back to the bag safely but hit the pillow at an odd angle and immediately went down in a heap, writhing in pain. He was helped off the field and replaced by Cayde Elliott, but the Eagles would fail to score in the inning and Section would capitalize.
The fourth inning would see the Lions cut the Cold Springs lead in half on a one-out single by Ethan Clark but it was the fifth inning that would seal the Eagles’ fate. Section would send nine men to the plate, scoring five and taking a 6-2 lead over Cold Springs. They would add three insurance runs in the sixth.
Never a team to give up, Cold Springs fought until the final pitch, scoring anther run in the bottom of the seventh on a Blake Harbison sacrifice, but would fall six runs short, 9-3, to the Section Lions and ending their 2016 season.
