Lincoln freshman Jacob Anderson squeezed a bunt to drive in the winning run boosting the Wolves to a 16-6 five-inning victory over Providence Academy on March 16.
The feat was Justin Bounds' first career win as Lincoln skipper after an 0-3 start and featured an ironic twist.
"My dad hates the squeeze play but I love it. He'll probably cringe but I'll have to tell him," Bounds laughed after the game, recounting how his father, David Bounds, of Fordyce, guided him in the sport growing up.
"He's a lot of the reason why I'm still playing baseball and around baseball," Justin Bounds said.
When Justin Bounds was 10 he only got one hit all season long -- although the hit was off a guy who now plays in the NFL, Kevin Williams, a long-time Minnesota Viking and now with the Seattle Seahawks. Like a lot of boys experiencing challenges and a desire to succeed while growing into a sport, Justin told his dad he didn't like baseball and didn't want to play any more. All through the winter the elder Bounds coached his son to improve his baseball skills. Justin Bounds recalls his dad taking him to the batting cages and working on the fundamentals.
"I learned more about the game, I got better and here I am today," Justin Bounds said.
Justin Bounds utilizes a similar type of patient strategy to draw the best out of his players. Lincoln only has 13 players out so everyone but seniors are playing twice. Nine Wolves are playing both varsity and junior varsity games.
" The down-side is this year we only got 13 players out but on the other hand all the non-seniors are getting two games every night. They are getting double at-bats, double ground-balls and possibly some time on the mound. They are getting more situational stuff," Bounds said.
The Wolves rose to the occasion each time. Leading 4-1 after the first inning, Lincoln experienced difficulties getting outs in the second. Two walks and a passed ball gave the Patriots a run. After another walk, another run scored on a wild pitch and then Providence Academy evened the score at 4-4 on an RBI single. Lincoln switched pitchers and Kaleb Ayers came on with no outs and a runner at first. Ayers didn't find his groove immediately issuing a pair of walks and the Patriots loaded the bases but nobody scored. Ayers induced the next batter to hit into a double play and then struck out the next man up to get out of the inning with no further damage done.
Renewed in their mindset, Lincoln batters transformed plate appearances into instant offense. Anderson was hit by the first Patriot pitch of the inning and went to first. Senior Cord McCaslin made contact on a 2-1 pitch and reached on an error despite cramping up and having to be stretched out by Lincoln assistant Tyler Sutherland. He stayed in the lineup and stole second with Dalton Hamby batting. Hamby drew a walk and when Lane Maddox came up he got ahead in the count, 3-1, with Anderson scoring on a wild pitch. The next pitch was also errant scoring McCaslin with Lane Maddox going to first on a walk.
The Patriots changed pitchers and Ayers was hit by a pitch. With the bases loaded Pace Maddox drove in a run to push Lincoln ahead 7-4. Lane Maddox raced home when a pitch went past the catcher and Garrett Prater smacked a 2-run single giving Lincoln a 6-run lead, at 10-4.
Lincoln held Providence Academy scoreless in the top of the fourth and led 12-5 but couldn't generate any runs. In the fifth, the Patriots hit back-to-back singles aided by wet grass slowing outfielders in their pursuit of the ball and scored their sixth run on a sacrifice fly. One more Patriot single put runners at first and second but the Wolves turned a double play on line drive to short stop to prevent further damage. As the team came into the dugout Justin Bounds went over strategy telling players if the game continued past the fifth inning, they were going to have to use another pitcher.
"Kaleb [Ayers] had hit his pitch count for the day," Justin Bounds said. "They told me, 'We're not going back out there. We're going to get four runs right here."
The Wolves did exactly that using a combination of smart at-bats, timely hits and daring base-running.
"Last weekend, we hit here and there. Today, we came out and strung something together. I'm pleased with our offense and base-running," Justin Bounds said. "The kids were running, taking extra bases today, that was nice."
Sports on 03/25/2015