Tuesday night's rematch between the Columbia and West Marion ended in a similarly dramatic fashion. The Trojans stormed back from a 12-4 deficit in the sixth inning to come within one hit of tying or taking the lead, but the Wildcats held on to earn another narrow victory by score of 15-14.
After both teams traded blows through the first two innings, resulting in a 5-4 lead for Columbia, the Wildcats began pulling away for what appeared to be a runaway victory on the road over the rival Trojans. They capitalized on a pair of fifth-inning fielding errors to tack on three more runs to their lead, and a single by Colin Haney in the sixth brought home Naji Cain to bring them within two runs of invoking the 10-run rule, effectively ending the game a little early. But West Marion had other plans.
Entering the bottom of the sixth on the ropes, the Trojans piled on five runs to cut deep into the deficit. Their momentum rolled over into the seventh, tacking on five additional runs and loading the bases for an opportunity to tie or take the lead with just one more hit. Following a pitching change that placed Walker Hobgood on the mound for Columbia, West Marion freshman Kolby Stringer blasted a line drive to center field that would've served as a walk-off for the Trojans had it fallen to the turf, but freshman centerfielder Mac McDaniel made the grab to retire the side and seal a second straight victory for the Wildcats in the local rivalry.
McDaniel finished the evening 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs and 2 RBI, and Cain batted 2-for-3 with a home run and 3 RBI. Jonathan Miller led the way offensively for West Marion, batting 3-for-4 with two runs and 4 RBI, followed by Stringer, who was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.
Lane Robertson earned the win on the mound for the Wildcats, striking out five and allowing four runs — three earned — on five hits through five innings pitched.
Columbia and West Marion will both return to action with road games on Saturday, with the Wildcats taking on Oak Forest Academy at 1 p.m. and the Trojans taking on Pearl River Central at 2 p.m.
