Martin Luther King’s Keontae Banks dives back into to first as Arabia Mountain first baseman Jaden Bryan waits on the throw. King won the game 11-8 in five innings. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Martin Luther King Jr. Lions held off the Arabia Mountain Rams 11-8 to take the Region 4-5A best-of-three series two games to one in high school baseball action at Arabia Mountain on Thursday.
Trailing 3-2 after one inning of play the Lions (5-2, 2-1) scored eight runs over the next two innings to take control of the game against the Rams (1-6, 1-2).
A pair of Rams throwing errors in the top of the second led to Cameron Cook and Evan Fulks to score putting the Lions up 4-3. Fulks then set the Rams down in order in the bottom of the second.
Three key hits and another error turned into six runs in the top of the third inning to put the Lions up 10-3. Cook delivered the first big hit of the inning with a two-run single to right field to score Donovyn Pinn and Brandon Ray. Kaleb Scott kept the rally going with two outs with an RBI double and two batters later Calvin Carter hit a deep ball into the left-center field gap for a two-run double plating Keontae Banks and Jordan Ford to make it 10-3.
Arabia Mountain answered with two runs in the bottom of the third on a double steal to score Ronald Jones III and James Carter grounded out to push Bryce Willingham across the plate as the lead was cut in half to 10-5.
Martin Luther King’s Calvin Carter delivers a run-scoring hit in the first inning against Arabia Mountain. Rams catcher Nick Knotts was behind the plate. Carter had three RBI in the win. (Photo by Mark Brock)
Fulks aided his own cause in the top of the fourth with an RBI single into center to score Brandon Ray to make it 11-5 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
The Rams tightened things up in the bottom of the fourth with three runs. With two-on and one-out Derick Brown grounded out to first to score Ben Brentz. Jones followed with an RBI double and then scored on a Lions’ error to close the gap to 11-8.
Arabia Mountain’s James Carter who had entered in relief in the fourth got out of a two-out jam as a batter’s interference was called on the Lions for the third out.
Fulks got an out and the hit Nick Knotts to put a runner on in the bottom of the fifth as darkness was coming on. The Lions went to reliver Kaleb Scott who enticed a double-play ball to end the game.
Zyan Wilson went two innings in taking the loss for the Rams and Fulks who went 4 1/3 innings picked up the win for the Lions.
Evan Fulks was 2-3 with an RBI and two runs scored in the game and Calvin Carter was 2-4 with a double and three RBIs to lead the Lions. Ronald Jones III was 2-3 with two doubles and two RBI for the Rams while teammate Jaden Bryan was 2-3 with two RBI.