By Justin Sokeland
WBIW.com
BEDFORD – Bedford North Lawrence’s pulse, like the heart of rock and roll, was still beating. Barely breathing, but still alive. And after seeing the great resuscitation in the final inning, better believe ‘em when the Stars declare they are not dead.
That’s the beauty of baseball. The clock cannot run out. The last out must be recorded. And North Daviess never got it.
Down 5-2, and definitely lifeless, in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Stars arose from the figurative grave, scoring four runs and walking off with Lucas Ira’s bases-loaded walk for a 6-5 triumph over the Cougars late on Friday night.
Like the mythical Phoenix, BNL ascended from the ashes of defeat. After struggling to solve North Daviess starter Caleb Miller for the first six frames, the Stars suddenly came to life with a dramatic comeback. The bottom of the order applied the defibrillator, shocking the patient while breaking North Daviess’ heart at the same time.
“You’re never going to be disappointed with a victory,” BNL coach Steven McNabb said. “They outplayed us for 6 1/2 innings. They deserved to win the game.”
The rally began with Tyler Stigall’s ringing double off the center-field fence. Grady Dalton delivered a sharp RBI single to right as Stigall raced home for the first run. His emotional burst as he crossed the plate – the first signs of life from the BNL dugout – lit the fuse.
“Stigall’s double was huge,” said BNL’s Tate Tanksley, who would later become one of the heroes. “Everyone got up. It made everyone get hyped.”
Cal Gates was hit by a pitch, and Cutler Chastain dropped a beautiful bunt down the first-base line for a single to load the bases. Tanksley drilled a single to left for two runs and a 5-5 deadlock. After ND reliever Brayton Knepp got the first out, Cam Gates was hit by a pitch to reload the bases, and Ira drew a five-pitch walk to force in the winning run.
The victory was special for McNabb, who coached at North Daviess from 2015–21. North Daviess coach Shom Berry was a four-year starter at catcher for him. Even though the Cougars (9-8-1) brought a three-game losing streak into this reunion game, they had the emotional edge for the first six innings.
“I knew what kind of team and mindset they were bringing,” McNabb said. “I knew they would be competitive.”
The Cougars scored in the first with a RBI single by Will Wagler, then took a 3-1 lead in the third (on a BNL error) and extended that edge to 5-2 in the fifth on Coltyn McNabb’s RBI double and another BNL miscue. That looked to be enough for Miller, who struck out 5 in six-plus innings before faltering.
“He was pretty dominant the whole game, keeping us off balance,” Tanksley said.
BNL’s early runs came from Dalton (two-out RBI single in the second) and Cam Gates (two-out RBI single in the third). Dalton and Tanksley both had two hits and two RBIs. Ira earned the win on the mound with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief work.
“Lucas keeps us right there to have a chance to come back,” McNabb said. “The guys that start the rally sometimes don’t get the recognition, but Tyler and Grady got the rally going, and that was really the difference.”
BNL will look to harness this momentum for a big week ahead. The Stars (11-4) will visit Martinsville on Monday, then await the Jeffersonville-Columbus East winner in the semifinal round of the Hoosier Hills Conference tournament on Wednesday.
