Varnado erased an eight-run deficit in the first game of a doubleheader to capture a 15-14 victory in eight innings over Independence and then swept the twinbill with a 19-1 win in the second game Wednesday evening at the Bogalusa Sports Complex on Avenue B.
The Wildcats trailed the opener, 8-0, through two innings after Independence scored eight runs in the frame.
Varnado pulled within five at 8-3 through three and made it a one-run game following a four-run fourth inning.
Darrius Harry began the inning with a single up the middle. He stole second and third and scored on a passed ball to make it an 8-4 contest. Brandon Jefferson walked, Christian Matthews beat out an infield single to third and Kameron Kemp-Fox was hit by a pitch.
Jaylen Peters was next and hit a ball back to the pitcher, but after a bobble, Jefferson scored. A throw went to third in an attempt to get Matthews. He was in a rundown between third-and-home and Matthews beat the throw to the plate and it was 8-6. Later in the inning, Everett Peters drove in Kemp-Fox with an RBI groundout to first. It was 8-7 after four innings.
The game went to the sixth inning with Independence leading 10-8 and it appeared the Tigers had taken back control of the game with three runs in the sixth, but Varnado didn’t go away quietly.
The Wildcats equaled Independence’s sixth-inning runs to make it 13-11 and then added two more runs in the seventh.
With one out in the seventh, Kemp-Fox was hit. He stole second and third and scored on a throwing error, pulling the Wildcats to within 13-12. Peters reached on a two-base throwing error and scored the tying run on Javon Bickham’s run-scoring single.
The game went to extra innings tied at 13-13.
Independence’s Marvin Jones walked with one out in the eighth and reached second on a wild pitch before he scored on Joel Cervantes’ RBI single, giving the Tigers a 14-13 lead.
Varnado came right back in its turn at the plate. Harry walked and stole second before scoring on Jefferson’s RBI single and the game was tied at 14-14. Jefferson went to second on a wild pitch. Matthews walked. Jefferson and Matthews moved up on Kemp-Fox’s flyout to centerfield. The alert base running came into play. There was a passed ball. Jefferson came racing home and made it with the game-winning run, ending the game that took about four hours, 15-minutes, with a 15-14 Varnado victory.
Harry led Varnado, going 3-for-4 with two walks, an RBI and five runs scored.
Kaden Robertson had two hits and a run scored.
Jefferson singled and scored two runs.
Matthews posted a hit and two runs.
Kemp-Fox recorded a hit and two runs.
Jaylen Peters drove in two run and scored a run.
Everett Peters had an RBI and tallied a run.
Bickham singled and posted two runs batted in.
Sidney Burns scored a run.
Jason Bell had an RBI.
“Being our first game and having to play six games in four days, starting against a team that fought as hard as Independence, definitely came with its challenges,” Varnado coach Brad Cooper said. “I’m very proud of how my kids fought tooth-and-nail, scrapping for the game through the eighth inning. I’m especially proud of how the younger players and newer players stepped up when we needed them.”
The two teams then played the next game of the doubleheader and Varnado captured a 19-1 victory.
Robertson, Harry and Bickham scored three runs each. Jefferson, Matthews, Kemp-Fox and Jaheim Hooks all scored two runs.
DeCameron Peters and Jaylen Peters tallied a run each.