By Cade Haak
TEXARKANA, Texas (August 2, 2024) – Texarkana fell behind in the top of the ninth, but the Rhinos were able to come back in the bottom of the ninth to win 9-8 in walk-off fashion.
Texarkana jumped out in front early in the game. In the bottom of the second, the Rhinos took their first lead of the game by scoring three runs. Aiden Otano started the second inning off with a single, then was later driven in on a single from Eli Selby. Later in the inning, Rylan Evans ripped a single into center field to score the next two Rhinos runs.
In the third, Neil Jansen started the inning with a double into deep left field. Jansen then jumped to try to steal third, but a pickoff attempt from the pitcher that got past the third baseman allowed Jansen to score from second.
The Piney Woods offense stayed quiet until the top of the eighth inning. Going into the eighth, the TimberHogs trailed by four, but they quickly flipped the game’s momentum in their favor when they scored four runs on three hits and one error.
Despite this, Texarkana was able to string together quality at-bats, and eventually Eli Selby was able to hit a sacrifice fly into center field to score Alex DeLeon.
To kick off the ninth inning, the TimberHogs then doubled their total by scoring four more runs on four hits to take their first lead of the game. Texarkana was finally able to get out of the top of the ninth down by three runs, but they had three outs to work with to try to mount a comeback.
In the final home half of the game, Texarkana immediately loaded the bases with two walks and one player being hit by a pitch. Alex DeLeon then drew a walk, and Rylan Evans scored the first run the Rhinos needed. Nex, Yuto Mimura, was hit by a pitch, which allowed Lane Epperson to score. Carter Harris then lifted the ball into right field, and it was able to drop and allow Harris an RBI single. Following this, the TimberHogs were able to get the second out of the inning with the game tied. Regardless of the tie game and two outs, Sota Suzuki came up to the plate and had a long, drawn-out at-bat that eventually turned into a walk-off walk for the Rhinos.
The night ended similarly to how the game itself ended, with a bang. Following the walk-off win, the Rhinos and their fans celebrated with a fireworks show in centerfield that lit up the night sky above George Dobson Field.
