Maxwell rallies past Willows

Things have gone well in the early going for the Maxwell High baseball team, as Tuesday's 9-4 come-from-behind victory over visiting Willows improved the Panthers to 6-1.

Maxwell used a strong pitching performance from Steven Perry and a five-run sixth inning to put the Honkers away.

Perry went to the mound in the fifth having already thrown 70 pitches, and Maxwell coach Eric Lay keeping a close eye on his pitch count this early in the season. Perry put himself into position to throw the complete game by facing the minimum number of batters after the third inning.

"We extended him a bit," the coach said about allowing his hurler to throw some pitches past his pre-determined pitch count. "He bulldogged up."

Maxwell actually trailed after three, as Willows batted around, using a couple errors, a hit batter and a two-run double by Sam Amaro to jump ahead 4-0. Perry and the Maxwell defense put up a stop sign after that.

"It showed his maturity," Lay said regarding Perry's performance after the shaky third. "He started locating his pitches, it was a real clutch performance."

The Panthers began their comeback with two runs in the fourth, without benefit of a hit. James Bowen scored after reaching on an error, which was followed by walks to Tyler Wells and Kent Leber to fill the bases. Steven Powell "took one for the team" by being hit with a pitch to force Bowen across the plate, and Lane Pearson coaxed a bases-loaded walk to plate Wells.

Maxwell put two more on the board in the fifth, with Dylan deWit getting hit by a pitch and later scoring on an error, and Leber delivering an RBI-single to tie the game at 4-4.

Nathan Azevedo reached on an error to begin the sixth, setting up the play that turned out to be pivotal.

Perry drove a screamer down the third-base line that appeared to have been foul, but it was ruled fair by the only person that mattered, as the home plate umpire explained to Willows coach Manuel Rakestraw that the ball had bounced over the corner of the bag. Azevedo came all the way around to go the go-ahead run.

One out later, Bowen lined a shot that began hooking as it headed toward the left-field fence, but there was no doubt that it stayed in fair territory as it left the premises for a two-run homer.

Three more Honker errors - two of which occurred on the same play - provided Maxwell two more runs of insurance, but it was a policy they would not need to cash in on.

Bowen and Leber each put up a pair of hits for the Panthers, with Bowen driving in a pair.

None of Willows' runs were earned, as Perry fanned nine and hit a pair of batters for his third win of the year.

Amaro singled and doubled for two of the Honkers' three hits, driving in two runs.

Maxwell 10, Durham 2

On Monday, deWit knocked out a pair of doubles in a 2-for-5 outing that included four RBIs to lead a 10-hit attack at Durham.

Bowen also put up a 2-for-5, with Powell, Perry, Joe Davis, Brett Cabral and Russell Jones coming through with singles.

Wells allowed just a bunt single in four innings of work for the win, with Bowen throwing the final three for the save.

Maxwell wraps up a three-game homestand hosting Liberty Tuesday, and Princeton Thursday.

Craig Purcell is sports editor of Tri-County Newspapers. Contact him at 824-1036 or cpurcell@tcnpress.com.