Langham lifts Wesson Cobras over Lawrence Co. in 9 innings

Published 6:00 am Monday, March 15, 2004

MONTICELLO-The Wesson Cobras defeated the Lawrence CountyCougars 6-5 Saturday night in nine innings, in a dandy non-divisionhigh school baseball game at Jimmie Davis Park.

It was “Joseph Langham Night” in Monticello as the Wesson rightywas the star both on the mound and at the plate. Langham, a Co-Linsignee, pitched the full nine innings, allowing six hits andstriking out nine.

At the plate, Langham’s two-run homer in the top of the seventhappeared to have given the Cobras a dramatic victory. AfterLawrence County battled back to send the game into extra innings,Langham’s RBI single in the ninth delivered the winning runs.

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Lawrence County’s Michael Thompson answered Langham’s home runin dramatic fashion, launching a dramatic solo shot of his own inthe bottom of the seventh to tie the game. The LCHS center-fieldertried to answer again in the bottom of the ninth but his would-be,game-winning three-run homer fell into the glove of Wessonleftfielder Corey Puckett just a few feet in front of the leftfield fence.

The game ended three batters later, when Cougar pinch hitterNick Jackson flied out to Cobra center-fielder Nick Gunter with thebases loaded.

With the win, Coach Hugh Knight’s Cobras improved to 4-4 on theseason. Chris Clark’s Cougars fell to 2-8.

Puckett, Gunter, and Tyler Broome put together hits in the firstinning to give the visiting Cobras a 2-0 lead. Lawrence County tiedit in the bottom of the third on a two-run double by TaebyusSmith.

Langham and Lawrence County’s Luke Watts locked into a pitchers’duel after that. It remained 2-2 until the Cougars took a 3-2 leadon a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth.

That’s when Langham’s hitting heroics took over. After Gunterwas hit with a pitch with one out in the top of the seventh,Langham launched a Watts curveball over the center-field wall for a4-3 Wesson lead.

Thompson then countered with his mighty blast, a one-out soloshot to left that tied the

game.

The eighth inning was uneventful. With one out in the ninth,Wesson’s Puckett, Gunter and Langham put together singles to givethe Cobras a 6-4 lead. It still wasn’t over. An error, a KleinHarbour single, a hit batsman, and a base on balls cut the Cobralead to 6-5, and loaded the bases for Jackson, a freshmanpinch-hitter. Jackson battled Langham to a full count before flyingout to end the game.

Watts gave it a great fight in defeat, working the full nineinnings for Lawrence County. He struck out 12 and allowed 12hits.

Catcher Tyler Broome led Wesson with three hits. Puckett,Gunter, and Langham added two hits apiece. Brian Channell, MasonWarren, and Chance Peets each had one.

Harbour’s two hits led Lawrence County. Marlon Stanfield, CaseyWilliams, Thompson and Smith also hit safely.