6/15 - 6/21 ONSL Game of the Week

The June 20th game between the Lexington Flying Pigs and Lenoir Legends would prove to be a pivotal divisional match-up, as Lenoir had the opportunity to move into 3rd place in the standings with a win over the first place Flying Pigs. In addition, nine innings would prove to not be enough for this contest, as the teams went into extras after the bottom of the ninth inning. 

Lexington would open the game with a couple of walks by Braylon Whitaker and Jackson Westmoreland, both who would prove to be pivotal performers throughout this game. Those walks followed a hit batter to load the bases, setting up a two-run double for left fielder Roman Keith. That would be all for the Flying Pigs in the first as a double play would end the inning, but they would take a lead into the bottom of the inning. Lenoir would answer with a run of their own via a walk to Trey Spees, who would come around to score after an error and an RBI groundout by Brandon Yoder. 

The second inning wouldn’t see any scoring action from either team, but the third would see both teams put runs on the board. Lexington’s only run of the frame would come from a solo home run courtesy of Braylon Whitaker, while Lenoir should have a more productive inning. The Legends would turn an infield hit and a walk into two runs on the board after a double by Trey Jensen, one of the big performers for Lenoir in this game; the sophomore from Lenoir Rhyne would come across to score on a wild pitch, resulting in the team’s third run of the inning. 

The fourth inning would also be defined by the offense of Lenoir, as hits by Henry Stewart and Trey Jensen would set up Brandon Yoder to deliver with an RBI single; an error would score the second run of the inning, but this would ultimately be the end of Leoir’s offensive push for the night, as Lexington would take control in the later innings after a scoreless 5th, 6th, and 7th innings on both sides. 

The Flying Pigs’ offense showed up a little late to the party, but once they got going, it was hard to stop them. A pair of hit-by-pitches to Carter Bass and Kasey Ross would put runners on for Alex Naylor, a sophomore out of Wingate University. He would step up when his team needed him, delivering an RBI double to pull his team within striking distance of the Legends; Braylo Whitaker and Jackson Westmoreland would contribute to the offensive effort as well, adding on two more runs before the end of the inning. 

The ninth would see a two-out rally from the Flying Pigs, as a walk to Alex Naylor and a pair of defensive mishaps would prove to be costly for the Legends, as the team would give up a hit-by-pitch and a bases-loaded walk to tie the game. 

The game would end fairly anticlimactic in comparison to how it started with ghost runner Brett Haskins coming around to score on a stolen base and an error to give the Flying Pigs the run they needed to win a close one over the Legends. Lenoir would try to rally for the win in the bottom of the 10th inning, but would ultimately fall short of the win and a much needed victory to move up in the divisional standings.