Home Athletics No Need To Fear, Tyler Durand is Here

No Need To Fear, Tyler Durand is Here

by Jordan Wood

As the first pitch of the game left the hand of Blackburn’s Kyler Sherrill, it was clear that the next three hours would be ones to remember. And they were, packed with scoring, collegiate debuts and record-setting performances.

It was a game many didn’t expect to be played, as rainfall in the hours prior to the first pitch left puddles standing in left field and sand pits all around the areas outside on the dugout, foul line, warning track and other areas scattered throughout the diamond. Those not so familiar with the sport may not understand the severity and risk of playing in such conditions, but the difficulty was certainly obvious as many players lost their footing and fielders were soaked after being forced into stagnant water.

Despite the conditions, Sherrill made his collegiate debut at the top of the hill as the Beavers entered what would turn into an 11-inning marathon against the Red Lions of Lincoln Christian University (LCU). However, the outing was not exactly what Sherrill had been hoping for as he was taken out after giving up six runs on four hits in three innings of work. But he did his best to limit the damage for relievers Sammy Gordon and Dillon Hensley, whose joint effort kept the team in the game.

That late-inning comeback the Beavers were hoping for was led by junior first baseman Tyler Durand who was near perfect, setting a new school record for hits in a single (a record previously held by former Blackburn students Aaron Moody and Cody Meyer who each had five hits in a single game). Durand finished the contest going 6-for-6 and accounting for seven of the team’s nine runs with four runs batted in and three runs.

While Blackburn trailed most of the game, they came through when they needed to the most and fought to force the Red Lions into extra innings. Perhaps LCU’s greatest opportunity to defeat the Beavers came in the top of the 10th inning when they loaded the bases with two outs. That’s when Hensley made his appearance and came through with a strikeout to extend the game long enough for Blackburn to make their move in the final inning.

In the top of the final inning, Hensley shut the Red Lions down with a 1-2-3 inning, sending his team to bat for what would lead to the final time. Durand led the inning off with a single laced to centerfield, which was followed by a walk to Joey Szerletich. With runners on first and second, Gregorio Costilla stepped up to the plate and laid down a perfectly executed sacrifice bunt. The ball was fielded cleanly, but the play to third base in an attempt to throw out Durand was not in time. On the final play of the game, A.J. Gill hit a choppy grounder to the shortstop. The ball was fielded but the throw came in much too high for catcher Lane Berglin to handle and Durand scored easily, giving Blackburn the thrilling 9-8 victory over Lincoln Christian University.

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