MOBILE, Ala. -- Ryan McCrory hit a one-out sacrifice fly to right field in the bottom of the 10th inning Saturday, lifting the Blue team to a 4-3 victory over the Red in game four of South Alabama's Red and Blue World Series. The win gives the Blue team a 3-1 lead in the series and a chance to clinch the title tomorrow afternoon.
Kateon started the frame with a bouncer over third that fell just inside the foul line. After a flyout, David Doss singled to center field to put runners at first and second. A wild pitch moved Kateon to third before a walk loaded the bases. McCrory then launched a rocket to right to end the contest.
For the first time in the series, the Red team took the first lead. Ryan Bohanon walked with one out in the fourth and later scored on a single by Chris Davis. The Blue team evened the game in the bottom of the inning on a two-out RBI single by Doss. He plated Clint Reynolds, who had walked, stolen second and taken third on a wild pitch.
The Red pulled ahead in the fifth on a leadoff triple by Brad Hammac and a groundout by Brett Uvodich, but the Blue retook the lead by scoring a pair of runs in the sixth. After a leadoff groundout, singles by Reynolds, Kateon and Clint Toomey, plus a wild pitch put the Blue ahead 3-2.
A leadoff walk to Raymond Kruml and a single by Derek O'Reilly in the eighth led to the tying run. O"Reilly stole second and when Doss' throw to second sailed into center field, Kruml trotted home.
Pitching was the highlight of the day for both teams. Red starter Eric Gonzalez struck out 11 of the 17 batters he faced, while allowing just two hits and one run over five innings. Blue starter Chris LaGrow also went five innings, scattering three hits and allowing just two runs. Chris Brown picked up the win by not allowing a hit over the ninth and tenth, while Greg Johnson took the loss.
"Today was a good game today for the fans, but there were still a few mistakes," Head Coach Steve Kittrell said. "Our pitching was outstanding, particularly with LaGrow and Gonzalez . Eric was throwing well, getting ahead in the count, while Chris had much better command of his pitches today."
Game five of the series takes place tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. at Stanky Field, with games six and seven, if necessary, slated for Wednesday and Thursday nights.
