Long Dixie battle results in tie

The Heartland National Bank and Sun 'n Lake Golf Course battled to an 11-all tie Tuesday night in Dixie Youth minors (9-10) action at the Max Long Baseball Complex.

In the top of the first inning, with Justin Vanderhoff and Josh Rivera in scoring position, Gavin Szoka hit a deep fly into the corner in right field, scoring both runners and scampering all the way to third for Heartland National Bank.

After finishing the top of the first, Desmond Gains hit a hard single into center to start off the inning for Sun 'n Lake. Logan Gregis drew a walk to put Gains into scoring position. On a wild pitch and an overthrow to third base, Gains came around to score and Gregis moved to third. Carson Angell then drew a walk and Gregis stole home. Rivera ended the inning with a strikeout, finishing the inning with a 3-2 lead.

On a wild pitch in the second inning, Ramdy Gonzalez and Emily Bible moved into scoring position for Heartland National. Gonzalez scored on an infield single and Bible later scored on a wild pitch. Justin Vanderhoff also came in to score on a wild pitch, pushing Heartland National's lead to three.

Sun 'n Lake's Wade Gilbert hit a hard single to the second base to put a runner on to start the second. After two wild pitches, Gilbert stole second and third base, and two batters later, on another wild pitch, Gilbert stole home to put another run on the board for Sun 'n Lake.

In the top of the third, Justin Strickland and Taylor Norris both drew walks and stole their way around the bases, putting two more runs up for Heartland National. Vanderhoff scored for a third time in the third inning by stealing his way around the bases after a walk. At this point, Heartland National had scored nine runs.

Sun 'n Lake retaliated in the third inning, scoring seven runs. After Gains drawing a walk, Gregis, Danny Cordosa, Colon Bernardo, Michael Brod and Wade Gilbert each drew walks and scored, tying the game at 9-all.

Szoka, who was hit by a pitch, and Eric Thomson, who was walked, got on base within the first three pitches of the inning for Heartland National. Both of them stole their way around the bases and had a little help from Jimmy Ray Parks, who drew a walk to load the bases. Both Szoka and Thomson stole home, making it 11-10.

Sun 'n Lake's Alan Wakaske, who was the tying run, drew a walk, and Gains, Gregis and Angell all walked to tie the game. But Heartland National's pitching stopped Sun 'n Lake with three strikeouts in that inning. The game ended in an 11-all tie because the two-hour time limit expired.