Lebanon comes back to defeat Rolla in extra innings

It took extra innings, but the Lebanon baseball team won in dramatic fashion over the Rolla Bulldogs 5-4 in nine innings on Wednesday afternoon at Oley Scott Field. In the top of the ninth, the Bulldogs got a leadoff walk from Isaac Long to begin the frame. On the next pitch, Long stole second and eventually came home to score on a sacrifice fly from Wyatt Lewis to take a 4-3 lead. Lebanon (4-3 overall, 1-0 Ozark Conference) needed two runs to win the game in the last inning. Junior Zack Stewart led it off with a double that one-hopped off the fence in right field for his third hit in the game. Senior Isaac Ledbetter would then sacrifice bunt Stewart to third base to put the tying run just 90 feet away. Senior John Greenwood wasted no time with a line drive rope into right field to score Stewart to tie the game at 4-4. Greenwood stole second and advanced to third on a wild pitch while senior Drew McBride looked to win the game. McBride watched ball four sail over the catcher's head, and Greenwood swiped home without a throw to give LHS the win. “We have seen a couple times this season that these group of kids respond the right way when they are facing a challenge,” head coach Dustin Young said after the win. “They refused to die and kept playing the game the right way, and ultimately it ended up in our favor.” Lebanon got on the board first with a two-out RBI double from junior first baseman Bennett Schnitzer in the bottom of the fourth inning, scoring Hunter Honey to take a 1-0 lead. For more on this story see Saturday's LCR.