Red Devils erupt with 5 runs in the 5th inning to pull away from Dragons

PROCTORVILLE — Country singer Crystal Gayle once sang, “Don’t Take Me Half the Way.”

The Fairland Dragons led halfway through the game only to have the Russell Red Devils rally for a 9-2 win on Monday.

Fairland (0-3) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning and Dragons stayed ahead until the fourth inning when Russell scored three runs to take the lead for good.

Russell (5-2) erupted for five runs in the fifth inning and added an insurance run in the sixth.

Hayden McGowan doubled to score a pair of runs in the inning. Then Keoni Ancheta scored on a sacrifice fly by Layne Paxson to push the lead out to 6-2.

Still with one out, Griffin Fisher doubled to score Ashton Daniels. Then Gunnar Hignite singled to score Noah Finch to make it 8-2.

Fairland managed just three hits with Josh Gillespie going 2-3 and Tanner Brown 1-1 with a run batted in.

The Red Devils had eight hits with Griffin Fisher going 2-3 with a double and two RBI. Grayson Kiser was 1-3 with two RBI, Hayden Mcgowen 1-2 with a double and two RBI, Jacob Tolliver and Gunnar Hignite each went 1-2 with an RBI, Lokelio Anchete 1-2 with a double, and Jayden Frasure 1-3.

Tolliver went the first three innings for the win and Mcgowen finished the rest of the game.

Nolan Fleming was the first of three pitchers for Fairland and got the loss.

Russell  000 35 = 8 8 2

Fairland 200 00 = 2 3 3

Jayden Tolliver, Hayden Mcgowan (4) and Griffin Fisher. Nolan Fleming, Cyrus Cummings (4), Chase Lapole (5) and Josh Gillespie. W-Tolliver (IP-3.0, H-3, R-2, ER-1, K-2, B-3). Mcgowan (IP-3.0, H-0, R-0, K-2, BB-0). L-Fleming (IP-3.1, H-4, R-3, ER-2, K-4, BB-2).Cummings (IP-1.0, H-2, R-5, ER-5, K-1, BB-4). Lapole (IP-0.2, H-1, R-0, ER-0, K-1, BB-1). Hitting–Russell: Gunnar Hignite 1-2 RBI, Jayden Frasure 1-3, Lokelio Anchete 1-2 2B, Jacob Tolliver 1-2 RBI, Hayden McGowen 1-2 2B 2-RBI, Layne Paxson 1-3 RBI, Griffin Fisher 1-2 2B RBI, Grayson Kiser 0-2 2-RBI; Fairland: Josh Gillespie 2-3, Tanner Brown 1-1 RBI.