From the Capital-Journal:
As the summer baseball season winds down, each game becomes more important for the Topeka Golden Giants as they try to win a Mid-Plains League title.
The Giants were battling from behind much of the night Wednesday, facing early deficits of 1-0 and 4-2 against the Rossville Rattlers along with ties at 6-6 and 7-7. The Giants kept coming back and pulled out an 8-7 victory on Erik Webb’s walkoff sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth inning at Jerry Robertson Field.
“We’ve been talking to them about the grind of the summer and we’re at that point where we’re hitting that grind,” Giants manager Connor Crimmins said. “I tell them you have that target on your back being at the top of the division right now.
“We found a way to win. Coming out on top in a game like that is big for us. We have to keep moving and take care of business.”
The Rattlers (5-16) scored four runs in the first three innings off Topeka starter Chris McPherson but the Giants used a four-run third to take a 5-4 lead.
Cole Hoover’s RBI single put the Giants up 7-6 after seven innings, but the Rattlers pulled even in the eighth when Justin Cooper led off with a single and scored on Dylan Watts’ two-out sacrifice fly.
The Giants had one more rally in them, getting started when Casey Wulfkuhle led off the ninth with a walk. Brett Owen followed with a bunt single and Christian Rodruner put down another bunt that forced out Owen at second but moved Wulfkuhle to third, setting up Webb’s game-winning sac fly to left field.
“Casey had a great at-bat to work himself to 3-2 and got a walk,” Crimmins said. “Brett had a great bunt to get on, then we had sac bunt but they made a good play on defense to get the guy at second.
“Erik has been our RBI guy all summer and comes up in the clutch. We have a lot of confidence when he’s at the plate.”
McPherson pitched five innings, allowing five runs on six hits, Harry Hefner worked three innings and Garrett Smith pitched the ninth to earn the win.
“Harry came in and did a great job for us in relief,” Crimmins said. “He got in a couple of jams but worked out of it. In the last inning, Garrett did the same thing with a double play to get out of the inning and give us a chance to win in the bottom of the ninth.”
Shortstop Jaxon Passino was 2-for-4 with a double and three RBIs for the Giants while Owen, Webb and Hoover had two hits apiece. Rattlers catcher Jordan Maxson was 4-for-4 with a double and Watts was 2-for-3 with two doubles and four RBIs.
The three-game series continues at 6 p.m. Thursday at Robertson field.
TOPEKA 8, ROSSVILLE 7
Rossville 121 011 010 — 7 12 1
Topeka 204 000 101 — 8 11 2
Topeka 204 000 101 — 8 11 2
Brown, Rotramel and Maxson. McPherson, Hefner (6), Smith (9) and Hoover. W — Smith. L — Rotramel. 2B — Rossville: Watts 2, Maxon. Topeka: Passino. 3B — Topeka: Owen.
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