By Rob Potter
ELDRED — The Eldred Yellowjackets rallied for a 9-8 victory against the visiting Fallsburg Comets in last Wednesday’s Orange County Interscholastic Athletic Association (OCIAA) Division V baseball game.
With the score knotted at 8-8 heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Yellowjackets earned the win in their final at-bat. (Prior to the game, the two teams had agreed to play five innings instead of the customary seven innings.)
Eldred’s first batter in the bottom of the fifth, Dennis McCaullaugh, drew a walk. Ryan Wood then bunted the ball to move McCaullaugh over to second base.
McCaullaugh advanced to second base as Wood was thrown out at first base. But when the Comets attempted to get McCaullaugh out when he ran past second base and headed for third base, the ball sailed into foul territory and McCaullaugh scored the winning run on the error.
Fallsburg scored two runs in the top of the first inning and two more in the top of the third to grab a 4-0 advantage. The key hit for the Comets in the top of the first was an RBI single by Jimmy Bertholf.
But Eldred took a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the third.
With the bases loaded and one out, Pat Reiser doubled to left field. Adam Schoch and Mike Kidney both scored on the hit to cut the Comets’ advantage to 4-2.
Shortly thereafter, James Haas crossed home plate on an error to make it a one-run game. Reiser then scored the tying run when Jordan Tice singled.
A base hit by Anthony Margum brought Brian Hazen in to score and give Eldred a 5-4 lead.
After the second out of the inning was recorded, Tice stole home to give the Yellowjackets a 6-4 advantage.
In the top of the fourth, Fallsburg’s Austin Halchak hit a ground-rule, two-run double to right field to tie the game at 6-6.
Moments later, the Comets took a 7-6 lead.
Eldred went ahead 8-7 in the bottom of the fourth when Kidney and Reiser both scored on a double by Hazen.