North Brunswick baseball earns walk-off victory over Trask

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LELAND | After watching his team strand 10 runners on base through the opening eight innings of Thursday’s game against Trask, North Brunswick baseball coach Dustin Medlin decided to try something different.

His decision paid off as Tristian Blackmon executed a perfect hit-and-run on the first pitch he saw, driving a single to center field to score Tommy Bost from second base and give the Scorpions a dramatic 3-2, 9-inning victory.

“Their pitcher came in and threw a lot of first-pitch strikes,” said Blackmon, who was 2-for-4 with a run. “We had been taking until we got a strike, but coach Medlin put on the hit-and-run and I was able to send it into the outfield.”

North Brunswick (2-0) sophomore pitcher Kenny Frank entered with two outs in the top of the first and his team already down 2-0 and stranded a pair of runners. The righty allowed only three hits and struck out seven over his 8 1/3 shutout innings to earn the victory. 

“I always try to throw strikes and depend on my defense,” Frank said. “If I do get in a jam, I think positive, take deep breaths and stay calm.”

The Titans (0-2) grabbed the early lead thanks to a hit by pitch, error, single and back-to-back walks. They nearly made the two runs hold up behind the outstanding pitching of Kolby Lanier and a pair of inning-ending double plays in the fifth and sixth. 

Lanier didn’t factor into the decision despite striking out seven and allowing only three hits in 6 1/3 innings. His night ended when he walked Brayden Fritz with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Fritz ended up scoring on an error to send the game into extra innings.

Trask had runners on first and second in the eighth inning before Franks got Jeffrey Stroessenreuther to fly out to right field. North Brunswick stranded a pair of runners in the bottom half of the frame.

In the bottom of the ninth, Bost hit a one-out single up the middle and moved to second when Seth Bowden ripped a single to right. That set the stage for Blackmon, who delivered the game-winning hit before being mobbed in front of the pitcher’s mound. 

“It was a battle,” Blackmon said. “Trask has a very good team and we just had to hold our heads high and keep battling. It was a great team win.”

The Titans were led offensively by junior Chase Patterson, who had a pair of hits and an RBI. Lanier tripled in the sixth inning for the only extra-base hit of the evening.

North Brunswick will try to carry the momentum into Friday’s Mideastern Conference opener at Topsail.

All teams in the state will have a long layoff following Friday’s contest, as the NCHSAA announced Thursday that all spring sports have been suspended until at least April 6. That also includes practices.