WESSON-First baseman Taylor Roberts hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth to propel the Wesson Cobras to a 9-8 extra-inning win over Lawrence County in Tuesday night baseball action.  The Roberts blow brought an end to a 3-hour, seesaw affair, on a night when Wesson celebrated Senior Night.

     With the win, Coach Seth Lofton’s Cobras improved to 19-4 on the season.  The Cobras are the champions of Region 7-2A, and are gearing up for the 2A playoffs.  Cory Keyes’ LCHS Cougars fell to 12-12 overall, with 3 games remaining in their season.

     “It was an exciting game,” Lofton said.  “Both teams played hard.  It seemed like we could have won it, or lost it, half a dozen times.”

     Roberts’ game-ender in the ninth came after Wesson had left the bases loaded in both the seventh and eighth innings.  The Cobras had the bases loaded with none out in the seventh, but LCHS reliever Will Jackson repeatedly pitched out of trouble.

       The Cougars had their chances, too, leaving 2 runners on base in both the eighth and ninth innings.

     Lawrence County forged a 5-2 lead through 4 innings, but the wheels came off on the Cougars in the bottom of the fifth.  Lawrence County made 3 critical infield errors in that frame, leading to 6 Wesson runs, all of them unearned.  Suddenly, the Cobras had an 8-5 lead. 

     Lawrence County battled right back in the top of the sixth, scoring 3 runs to tie the game at 8-8.  Kody Smith’s 2-out, 2-run single was the key blow; Smith’s fourth straight hit in a 4-for-5 night.  After the Cougars tied it, both teams repeatedly threatened, but neither team could score until the walk-off homer.

     Along with Smith’s 4 hits, Jordan McCaffrey had 3 for the Cougars.  Patrick Little and T-Tez Cole had 2 each.  Jackson and Matt Patterson also had hits.  Jackson relieved McCaffrey in the fifth, and gave it a great fight.  The LCHS duo scattered 11 hits, and struck out 2.

     Jase Alexander led Wesson with 3 hits, and Alex Smith had 2.  Roberts, Koy McFarland, Cullen Greer, Kaleb Skinner, Bailey Warren, and Brandon Nettles each had 1 hit.

     Bailey Warren started for the Cobras, and worked 5 and 1/3 innings.  He was relieved in the sixth by Kaleb Skinner, who shut out Lawrence County  over the final 3 innings, to earn the win.