By Noah Adcock-Howeth

With their backs against the wall, the Blowfish pulled off the most unlikely win of the summer to extend their divisional lead over the Bacon.

With two on and two outs in the bottom of the 9th, and the Blowfish trailing 5-3, right fielder Ty Jackson stepped up for his biggest moment as a Blowfish.

Jackson worked the count 2-0 in his favor, then unleashed upon a high fastball to send it soaring deep into the Lexington night for a walk off three run homer. It was the first walk-off of the year for the Blowfish, and came at a time when they needed a win desperately.

The Blowfish and Bacon came into last night’s contest separated by a half game in the standings, with yesterday’s victor claiming sole possession of the top spot. Early on, it appeared the pitchers would be in control, as neither Carson Starnes nor Macon starter Eli Frank allowed a hit through 3 frames.

Frank was lifted after 3, and the Blowfish struck first off reliever Brady Pendley following a leadoff walk. Jackson made his way to third on a single from Zach Cowart, and scored on a Cooper Blauser ground ball that became a double play.

Though Starnes faced the minimum through 4, he ran into trouble in the 5th when he lost the support of his defense. The Blowfish infield committed 3 errors in the inning, allowing a run to score and tie the game without a hit. A misplayed fly ball and another error in the 5th pushed 3 more runs across, ending Starnes’ night with 4 unearned on his ledger.

After allowing a run in his first inning of work, Pendley settled in and posted back to back zeroes in a contest that got increasingly confrontational as time went past. Macon tacked on two more (one earned) off of Alex Lyon in the 7th, thanks to an error, single, and RBI double that brought in two. At the stretch, the Blowfish trailed 5-1 and needed run support quickly.

Lexington County found a spark in the bottom of the 7th from the bottom of the order, when Zander Buchan drew a one-out walk and Wells Sykes followed up with a single. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and came home on a two RBI single from center fielder Dariyan Pendergrass. Pendergrass stole both second and third, but a Landry Mead caught stealing and Ty Jackson ground ball ended the threat.

Each side traded zeroes in the 8th, but it was an eventful inning nonetheless. Buchan combined with reliever Anson Merrick for a caught stealing with one out, but took a foul ball off the body the next pitch and was forced to exit the game. In the bottom half, after Ashby Vining replaced Buchan, he was struck out looking on a curveball above the zone. The call, and a series of ones before it and in previous games by umpire Gus Prescott Mounts, led to head coach KC Brown being ejected for arguing balls and strikes for the first time in his career.

In the top of the 9th, a new face provided high octane relief, as Gunnar Erickson of Newberry retired the side in order with two punchouts. With a two run lead, Macon gave the ball to Connor Hill, looking for his 2nd save in as many tries vs the Blowfish. Things started off strong for Lexington County, with Sykes knocking a single and Pendergrass reaching on an error that put two in scoring position with nobody out. Macon, however, buckled down, retiring Mead on a ground ball and cutting Sykes off at the plate on a fielder’s choice to get one out away from first place.

Up came Ty Jackson with the game on the line, and he did not miss his pitch. After seeing two fastballs in the dirt, Jackson stood ready, and drove the 2-0 heater beyond the left field wall. It was the 2nd homer of the summer for Ty, and his first walk-off in 3 years in the CPL. In a game that featured so much back and forth chatter, and the benches clearing twice including after the walk off, it was the Blowfish that prevailed.

Lexington County and Macon meet three more times this summer, including tomorrow night at home. There is no rest or reprieve for either side, as Macon hosts the Florence Flamingos while the Blowfish head out to Forest City for their final regular season meeting with the Owls. First pitch tonight is 7:05, and can be listened to on blowfishradio.com.