Bullington, Allen spark CC past Eagles

The last few years Crawford County High School’s baseball teams have not been successful for one reason or other. This year is a different story, as the Wolfpack last week pushed their record to 7-3, defeating visiting Lanesville, 12-2, for their sixth victory in seven games.
‘We’re starting to play as a team and really coming through,’ said Crawford coach Brian Rubel.
Lanesville had only three wins going into the game, but the Eagles got off to a good start against Crawford, thanks, in part, to the Wolfpack.
Aaron McKim reached first on a dropped third strike, allowing Matt Beckman to sacrifice him to second. Then, with two outs, Taylor Hess slapped a double to nest the first Eagle run.
Crawford failed to score in the bottom of the inning, but Lanesville also was unable to plate anymore runs in the top of the second. However, the tone of the game changed dramatically in Wolfpack’s half of the inning.
After Chris Newton reached base on a Lanesville error, senior Tyler Bullington smashed a two-run home run over the center field fence, giving the Wolfpack the lead, 2-1. From there, Crawford never looked back as Lanesville’s bats were as silent as Crawford’s were loud.
Lanesville hit into a double play to end the top of the third inning, but the Eagle defense wasn’t as fortunate as Crawford smacked three hits in the bottom portion of the frame.
Following a Wyatt Sillings walk, Bo Benham singled and went on to second on a Lanesville error. Sillings, in the meantime, rounded the bases and came home. Benham then moved to third on a passed ball with Karl Sauer at the plate. He then scored moments later as Newton rapped an infield single. In his second at-bat, Bullington belted a double in the right field gap, scoring Newton and giving the Wolfpack a 5-1 lead.
‘It took us a couple of innings to get going but not the entire game,’ Rubel said. ‘That’s the way it was at Paoli. It was a little slow getting going, but the boys have got a lot of confidence right now. We’ve got some good teams coming up. Lanesville is a good ball team. but we caught them on the right night.’
After Lanesville was shut out in the top of the fourth, Crawford struck pay dirt again. R.T. Elliott lined a lead off double then Chris Broughton was hit by a pitch. Bryce Barron then reached first on an Eagle error that allowed Elliott to score. Sillings then singled to score Barron, and the Wolfpack were up by six, 7-1.
Lanesville tried to make a comeback in the top of the fifth, when Nic Parsons ripped a pinch-hit double and went to third on a passed ball. With one out, Seth Jacobs singled, scoring Parsons to close the gap to five, 7-2.
But the Eagles hopes were grounded, as Crawford would have its biggest inning during it half of the fifth. Newton and Bullington walked then Cody Allen launched a towering three-run homer over the left field fence. Elliott was hit by a pitch then went to second and third on two balks by Lanesville hurler Tom Walter.
Following a Barron walk, Sillings singled and Elliott scored on an Eagle overthrow. Crawford got one more run when Bo Benham drilled a double, scoring Barron to push the score to 12-2 and ending the game in five innings due to the 10-run rule.
‘We’re starting to hit the ball from one through nine, all the way through the lineup,’ Rubel said. ‘Tyler Bullington and Cody Allen are both coming through in the bottom of the lineup. They’re in a situation they’re comfortable with and they like being there in terms of seeing those good pitches. A lot of teams think your eight and nine hitters aren’t going to be very good, but that’s not the case with us.’
Crawford collected 11 hits and committed only one error. Bullington went two for two with a walk. Benham was three for four with two doubles and Wolfpack hurler Karl Sauer struck out five, walked one and hit one batter.
‘We never give up,’ Rubel said. ‘If we get behind a little bit here or there, no matter what the score is, they know we’ve got the opportunity and the offense to score 10 or 12 runs a game.’
Rubel said he hopes Crawford’s good fortune will continue, adding the Wolfpack’s past few tough season are beginning to pay off.
‘A lot of it is a tribute to these boys that’s juniors right now,’ he said. ‘They’ve been playing varsity in their third year. We didn’t have the numbers. They’ve had to play all the way through and now it’s paying off. Sometimes when you’re young like the last two years, you have to take some lumps. That was the case. Now, the dividends are starting to pay off.’
Lanesville will try to right the ship today at home against New Washington in a Southern Athletic Conference battle at 5, then travel to CAI Saturday at 11 a.m.