MS Baseball: Independence holds on to beat Shady Spring

No matter the sport, no matter the level, any match-up that involves Independence and Shady Spring will turn into must watch theater.

Saturday morning at Linda K. Epling Stadium, middle school baseball was in the spotlight and once again it was loaded with nail-biting drama.

This time around, the victory went to the Patriots.

Building a 5-0 lead, Independence held off the Tigers in the later innings for a 5-3 win.

Paxton Myers staked the Patriots to the early lead with a two-run blast in the first inning before Indy doubled the advantage two innings later.

A two-out hit batsman opened the door and Kaiden Randolph and Kayden Cyrus came crashing through. Randolph singled home one run ahead of Cyrus who doubled home the second run of the inning.

The chance to break the game open slipped away on a sharp liner, however, snagged by Jace Bailey at shortstop.

After adding a run in the fourth inning, Independence appeared to be cruising to the win when Shady Spring came to life with one swing of the bat.

Carson Bennett was hit by a pitch with one out and moved to third base on a double from Mason Adams. Braylon Redman took full advantage of the opportunity by launching a deep drive over the left field fence, cutting the deficit to 5-3.

Down to their final three outs, the Tigers found hope in the seventh when Trent Whitlock was hit by a pitch and Hunter Pennington followed with a single.

Following a pop out, a fielder's choice ground ball moved runners into scoring position with two outs. A walk then loaded the bases, but the free pass was actually a blessing in disguise for the Patriots.

Second baseman Jacen Brogan gathered up a ground ball for the unassisted force out at second base, securing the win for Independence.

The Patriots improve to 13-1 on the season, while Shady Spring slips to 8-3.