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Stagg’s James Newman throws a pitch during Monday’s game against Linden at Stagg. The Lions won 7-2 in eight innings. CLIFFORD OTO/THE RECORD
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By Dave Campbell Record Correspondent
Posted Mar. 10, 2015 at 12:01 AM
STOCKTON — Sometimes even making a mistake works.
Tied with host Stagg in the top of the eighth with runners at first and second, Linden’s Brandon Anderson missed the bunt sign and laced a sharp double to right field, scoring Shelby Lackey and Ryan Alegre to jump start a five-run frame for the Lions on the way to a 7-2 win Monday at Stagg.
“My coach gave me the sign to bunt,” Anderson said. “But I missed it. There is some confusion with the signs, so we will work on that at practice.”
The Lions (2-2) almost did not make it to the eighth inning. Trailing 2-1 entering the seventh, Jacob Griffith walked to start the inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Grant Winters. Brent Humphreys came in to pinch hit and belted a one-out, full-count offering into right-center to score Griffith and force the extra inning.
“We executed well to advance our runners with bunts and hits,” Humphries said. “Especially in the later innings.”
The Delta Kings (0-3) fell apart after the two-run double by Anderson (2 for 3, double, two RBI). The Lions added three more runs on three walks, two errors, a wild pitch and one more hit.
“Tonight was a great game for us,” Linden coach Aaron Sanders said. “I think that early on we kind of struggled getting jobs executed but we played some solid defense, we executed at the end and we came away with the ‘W’ so that was good.”
Stagg missed an opportunity in the sixth to build its lead. With no out, Johnathan Kreitz on third and Emiliano Nevarez on second, Vincent Grayson hit a grounder to shortstop. The throw came home, but Kreitz avoided the tag and also the plate. In the confusion, Nevarez snuck home, Kreitz was tagged out before he could get back to the plate and Grayson tried to get all the way to third but was thrown out, giving the Delta Kings just one more run and two outs. James Newman then hit a single, but there was nobody left on base to score.
Newman started for Stagg and threw five shutout innings and allowed three hits. The Delta Kings scored their other run in the fourth inning when Grayson reached on an error to lead off the frame, took second on a passed ball, third on a sacrifice bunt by Newman, and home on a passed ball.
“James Newman did a heck of a job for us today,” Stagg coach Tony Angelo said. “He gave us a solid effort — just like he did last week — pounding the strike zone, hitting his spots and just doing a great job overall.
“We just had that one inning where we couldn’t keep it together. And not being able to get that timely hit with runners in scoring position killed us.”