Indians Win Marathon Game at Oconee

The Stephens County Indians and Oconee County Warriors baseball teams thought that they were getting together to play a game last night. Little did they know that they would play in what was equal to two.

Stephens County scored 7 runs in the top of the 14th inning and won their first Region-8 game of the year 13-7 on Tuesday night in Watkinsville.

The game, which had seven extra innings and lasted over five hours, featured a little bit of everything.

The Indians got on the board in the first inning when Cruz Mullinix doubled home Ayden Garmon with the first run of the game.

Oconee County, ranked #6 in the latest MaxPreps AAA rankings, scored two runs in each the 2nd and 4th innings to take a 4-1 lead.

The Indians would battle back in the top of the 5th inning scoring 4 runs. Carson Worley led the inning with a double, and scored on Garmon’s fielders choice RBI. Mullinix walked, Ben Stowe reached on an error, and Garrett Burgess was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ian Rumsey’s single plated two Indians to tie the score, and Mason Roberts RBI ground ball gave the Indians the lead at 5-4.

The Warriors tied the score at 5 in the bottom of the inning and the score would remain 5-5 until the top of the 12th when Garmon walked and later scored on a Rumsey bases loaded walk. The Indians left the bases loaded, but took a 6-5 lead to the bottom of the 12th.

Oconee County tied the score in the 12th to force another inning, and looked like they would win it in the 13th with a man at 3rd base and no outs. The Indians defense then shined when Mason Roberts threw out a runner trying to score on a groundball to 2nd, and Worley made an outstanding running catch in centerfield and doubled up a runner at 2nd to end the inning.

The Indians would send 10 batters to the plate in the 14th inning. Rumsey led the inning with a walk, followed by three straight singles by Roberts, Jacob Pruitt, and Craig Thurmond with the RBI. Worley and Bailey Stowe each worked bases loaded walks to score two more runs and Ben Stowe capped off the inning with a Grand Slam home run to make the score 13-6.

Oconee County scored one in the bottom of the 14th for the final tally.

The Indians got great pitching from Mullinix with seven strong innings allowing six hits and striking out three. Garmon pitched five innings of relief allowing only one run on 3 hits and striking out 7. Rumsey picked up the win on the mound going two innings and allowing just one run.

Oconee County used six pitchers in the game and Liam Lewis took the loss.

Ben Stowe led the Indians with 4 RBI’s. The Indians also received 3 RBI’s from Rumsey, and RBI’s from Worley, Garmon, Mullinix, Bailey Stowe, Roberts, and Thurmond.

Worley had three hits to lead the Indians, and Mullinix, Roberts, and Pruitt had two hits each.

The Indians broke a 5-game losing skid to improve to 1-3 in Region-8 play and 6-9 overall. Oconee County falls to 3-1 in the Region and 11-5 overall.

The two teams will get together for an actual doubleheader on Friday at Stephens County. Airtime is set for 4:45 P.M. with first pitch at 5 P.M. on WNEG.