Blazers Steal Series from No. 6 Thunderducks

CAMERON HILL STEALS HOME

IRVING, Texas – Cameron Hill sprinted for the plate, hesitated midway down the line for a split second before diving forward, while extending his right arm for the white diamond.

The home plate umpire waved his arms twice.

Safe.

Talk about a flair for the dramatics. Hill stole home with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning to send Saturday's series finale against No. 6 Dallas College Richland into extra innings, and Robert Farr raced home on a throwing error in the 10^th, following a bunt single by Michael Riberich to lift the Blazers to a 7-6 series-clinching win.

It was North Lake's second win over the Thunderducks this week, and kept the Blazers within a game of third place in the Dallas Athletic Conference. Dallas College Brookhaven swept Dallas College Cedar Valley, winning 18-3 in seven innings Saturday, to maintain its one-game lead over the Blazers.

North Lake (24-29, 13-14 DAC) will finish the regular season with a three-game series against No. 3 Dallas College Eastfield (41-11, 22-5) beginning with Wednesday's home finale at noon. Eastfield will host the final two games of the regular season Friday and Saturday. Brookhaven (23-25, 14-13) begins a three-game set with Dallas College Mountain View (13-31, 3-24) Wednesday on the road. The Bears host the final two games of the series.

The Blazers took a 2-0 lead in the first Saturday when Leo Salas, who went 3-for-4 with two RBI, singled to center to drive in a pair. Richland (35-17, 20-7) used an RBI double to center by Kelton Phillips to cut it to 2-1 in the third.

North Lake picked up a run in the fourth on Farr's bases-loaded walk and another in the fifth on an error after Eric De Anda grounded into a fielder's choice to make it 4-1. The Thunderducks stormed back with four runs in the seventh, capitalizing on Phillips' sacrifice fly, Jouseph Gelpi's RBI bunt single and a two-run error off the bat of Eimir Perez. Salas scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the inning to knot the game back up at 5-5.

Perez delivered with an RBI single to center in the ninth to move the Thunderducks back in front before Hill's heroics set off fireworks in the bottom of the inning.

Noah Angus and Jacob Binder were both 2-for-4 in a game the Blazers stole nine bases. Binder had one, and Ayden Franco swiped three.

Richland's Trace Chamblee was 3-for-4, Nick Hockemeyer 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, and Perez 2-for-4 with an RBI. Phillips drove in a pair, and doubled in four trips to the plate.

North Lake's Aldo Calvillo got the win in relief, allowing two walks without surrendering a hit or a run in the 10^th. Starter Isaac Lopez went five innings, giving up a run on six hits and three walks, and fanned five. Davin Askew retired two of the four batters he faced, and De Anda worked two innings, allowing a run and two hits without walking a batter.

Richland reliever Vince Ray worked a perfect inning in relief.

North Lake imoved within a game of .500 at home with Wednesday's finale against No. 3 Eastfield the final opportunity to break even. The Blazers played a fourth game against the Thunderducks this week – a nonconference matchup – after clinching the series, losing, 3-2.