Perkins rallies late to edge Norwalk

PERKINS TWP. — Talon Walton threw a complete game. He played one, too. Walton struck out seven and also made an impact with his bat and legs to help the Pirates rally for a 3-1 win over Norwalk on Friday in a battle of top Sandusky Bay Conference Lake Division contenders. The Truckers took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning before the Pirates rallied against Norwalk left-hander Carter Harp. "They're a good team and we knew they were gonna bring their best," Perkins coach TJ Blanton said. "Both pitchers threw extremely well. That's what you expect when you play tough games. We were waiting to break through and I felt good that third time through with the top of the order coming up." Bryce Davie, leading off the bottom of the sixth, fouled off a couple pitches before lining a double into left-center field. Braxden Martin's sacrifice bunt moved him to third, bringing up Walton and his hot bat. Walton tripled in the first inning and doubled in the fourth before tagged out by Truckers third baseman Kaedyn Warner when Walton's hand came off the bag when it looked like he had another triple. Walton's last at-bat wasn't as loud, but proved to be effective. He laid down a bunt and Davie raced home to tie the game. An error on the play put Walton on second base. "Coach gave me a bunt (sign)," Walton said. "He called it off because my bat's been hot and I decided to lay it down because I saw the first baseman back and had a good opportunity. It worked out." Added Blanton: "We had to tie the game and it worked. You've gotta put pressure on the other team. I peaked over at (first base coach) Christian (Walton), his dad, and he was giving me the bunt sign. I thought 'good idea.' They threw it away and Talon was in scoring position right away and we rolled from there." After Walton stole third, Kash Koch singled to left to give the Pirates a 2-1 lead. Pinch-runner Grant Parker scored on an error to give Perkins a two-run cushion. Walton retired the Truckers in order in the seventh as Perkins improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the SBC Lake. The Truckers fell to 7-4, 1-1. "We're on the wrong side of it this time, but it was an enjoyable baseball game to coach," Norwalk coach Jason Higgins said. "No one wants to come out and watch a blowout. These tight games are what we train for and what we want." Norwalk starting pitcher Noah Helton threw five shutout innings, facing only 18 batters on 66 effective pitches. The left-hander struck out seven, including three in the third inning. "He competes every time he's out there," Higgins said. "He had his good stuff today. We've been battling with a little arm issue. He started having a little bit of elbow pain so we got him out of there." Norwalk took a 1-0 lead in the second. Wesley Shupe led off with a double. Warner singled to move Shupe to third and Caiden Wilson singled to drive in the game's first run. The Truckers left two runners on in the inning and couldn't capitalize on a big chance in the third. With two out, Harp reached on an error. He went to third on Shupe's single to right field. The relay throw got away from Martin at third base and Harp looked like he would score. But Walton made another winning play. He backed up third, scurried after the ball and fired to catcher Carter Koch to get Harp at home. "I was backing it, as a pitcher should," Walton said. "I'm a natural shortstop so I took it off a foot and gunned him out at home. It felt really good." Blanton wasn't shocked to see Walton make the improbable play. "Talon's an athlete and that's one advantage you have when he's on the mound," Blanton said. "You kinda take away a little bit of the small game from the other team because he can hop all around there. He does very well in the weird, big plays. That's just having baseball IQ and being an athlete and trusting your arm." Higgins, coaching third, had no problem sending Harp on the play. "No offense to them, but he's not supposed to be there," said Higgins of Walton. "He ran it down; he's one of the more athletic guys on the field. We sent (Harp); we're aggressive just like they are on the bases. We're gonna make guys make plays against us. When you got an opportunity to score, you've gotta go for it." Norwalk would get only one baserunner over the final four innings — a leadoff single in the sixth by Brady Singer. "It felt good to get out of those innings," Walton said. "I had my team behind and I'm just trying to throw it in there and get outs. Coming in, a little tight in the arm, but I got mad throughout the game and used that on the mound to pump it by them and get some outs." Added Higgins: "Against good teams you can't have those innings that slip away from you. Our guys' effort was where it needed to be, but a couple plays were the deciding factor. We got some baserunners early. Talon got a little adrenaline going in some of those big at-bats." Blanton wasn't sure whether Walton would make it deep into the game. "He kind of always does that, holds his arm," Blanton said. "We warmed up Braxden in the fourth, thinking it looked off a little. He got better as the game went on and that's what you need out of starting pitching." Shupe had two of Norwalk's five hits and Carter Koch had two singles for Perkins. Perkins first baseman Blake Parker exited the game in the fourth inning with a leg injury. The Pirates are off until next Wednesday when they host Clyde. The Truckers have five straight games scheduled next week, starting with a Monday home game against Clyde. "We got some younger guys who can throw and are logging some innings," Higgins said. "We just need guys to throw strikes and for the most part we're doing that. We like playing baseball so we're up for the challenge." Norwalk 010 000 0 — 0 5 3 Perkins 000 003 x — 3 6 1 WP: Walton. LP: Harp. 2B: (N) Shupe; (P) Walton, Davie. 3B: (P) Walton