ELLAVILLE – With the score tied at 3-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Schley County relief pitcher Lorne Barineau hit a walk-off single into center field, scoring Trent Bivins from third to give the Wildcats a 4-3 victory over Manchester (MHS) on Friday, March 29, at Schley County High School (SC).

In addition to his game-winning heroics at the plate, Barineau also got the job done on the mound for the Wildcats. Barineau came in to pitch in the top of the fifth in relief of starting pitcher Ashton Goodin. Barineau was totally dominant on the mound, giving up no runs, hits or walks and striking out six batters in four innings of work.

“Lorne came in and did a phenomenal job on the mound. We all know what kind of pitcher he is,” SC head coach Chuck Cheek said. “We’ve got a lot of really good pitchers. It has been frustrating for us as coaches to get everybody innings. We’ve got guys who need to have pitched more than they have.”

Goodin was also dominant on the hill for SC as the starter. He gave up three runs on two hits. One of those runs was earned. He walked two, but struck out seven. Goodin and Barineau combined to strike out a total of 13 MHS batters.

The Blue Devils took a 3-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning. With one out, Noah Braddy led off the inning with a single. Braddy then advanced to second on a passed ball. Goodin then walked Harrison James, giving the Blue Devils runners at first and second with one out. Javon Jones hit into a fielder’s choice, advancing the runners to second and third. However, MHS scored the first run of the game on an error. The error allowed James to advance to third base. Braddy then scored on another passed ball to give MHS a 2-0 lead with one out. Chase Spence grounded out for the second out of the inning, but the Blue Devils scored their third and final run of the game on another passed ball before Goodin struck out Evan Stiner to stop any further damage.

However, the Wildcats found a way to get back into the game. They scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth to cut their deficit to 3-2. Dylan Windham led off the inning with a double. After Goodin flew out for the first out of the inning, Trent Bivins singled to drive in courtesy runner Tucker Welch to give the Wildcats’ their first run of the game. Trypp Lumpkin reached on an error. This was followed by a passed ball by the MHS catcher, which allowed Bivins to advance to third and Lumpkin to advance to second base. Barineau then hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Bivins to bring the Wildcats to within one run at 3-2.

The Blue Devils had a chance to win the game by getting three outs in the bottom of the seventh. However, SC took advantage of an error and a passed ball to tie the game. Garrett Peavy led off the Wildcats’ half of the seventh with a double. Dakota Albritton then reached on an error, allowing Peavy to advance to third. The Wildcats had runners at the corners with nobody out. Albritton stole second base, putting both runners in scoring position. MHS pitcher Evan Stiner struck out both Dylan Taylor and Dylan Windham to bring the Wildcats to within one out of defeat.

However, Peavy scored on a passed ball to tie the game.

Barineau, who had come into pitch in the top of the fifth, retired the three MHS batters in order in the top of the eighth. This set the stage for his game-winning heroics in the bottom half of the inning.

Bivins led off the inning with a bunt single, then stole second base. Lumpkin’s attempt to bunt Bivins over to third failed, giving the Blue Devils one out. However, Bivins advanced to third on a wild pitch by Stiner. The winning run was just 90 feet away for the Wildcats.

Barineau was able to work the count to 3-and-2. He then singled up the middle, scoring Bivins to give the Wildcats a 4-3 come-from-behind victory.

Barineau went 2-for-3 at the plate and drove in two RBIs, with the latter being the winning run. Bivins also had a solid day at the plate for SC. He went 3-for-3, scored two runs and drove in an RBI.

Noah Braddy was the starting pitcher for MHS and pitched six innings. He gave up three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three SC batters. Stiner came on in relief of Braddy. He pitched 1.1 innings, giving up one earned run on two hits and striking out three.

Passed balls played a key factor for both teams in this game, but especially for MHS. The Wildcats scored the tying run off a passed ball in the bottom of the seventh with two outs.

With the win, SC improves to 16-1 overall and they are in first place in the Region 4-A standings at 10-0. MHS lost to Marion County 6-1 on Saturday, March 30. The Blue Devils are now 4-11 overall and 3-9 in the Region 4-A standings.

The Wildcats will try to continue their winning ways when they host region opponent Taylor County on Tuesday, April 2. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.