Pike County rides Lewis to 8-5 win, breaks 22-game losing streak

For the first time in over a year, the Pike County Bulldogs walked off the baseball diamond with the heads held high and boasting a winner’s smile.

Pike County knocked off cross-county rival Goshen 8-5 Monday night, scoring its first win since the latter part of the 2012 season.

For first-year head coach Jim Bedsole the win was something he wanted, not for himself, but for his ball players.

“Just seeing the excitement on their faces was enough for me,” said Bedsole. “We want to teach them the game, and how to play it the right way, and to see it pay off with a win is great. Seeing them happy makes it all worth it.”

Goshen grabbed the lead early in the game, on what Bedsole called a “fox and rabbit play,” but the Bulldogs responded with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take the lead for good.

Kyle Lewis, Ryshaun Hall, Jerrell Lawson and Michael Bonner all came across the plate for Pike County.

The Bulldogs tacked one run in the third and fourth innings and two in the fifth to pad their led.

Bedsole liked what he saw from his lineup.

“We had some big two-out hits today,” said Bedsole. “But what I am most proud of are the little things like sacrifices and moving runners over on bunts and ground outs. I told the players they should be fighting to get to the door of the dugout to pick up a teammate for that stuff. That is what wins ball games, and they are still learning it every day”

Senior pitcher Kyle Lewis went the distance on the mound for Pike County. Lewis recorded only one strikeout on the day, but Bedsole loved the intensity he saw.

“I didn’t want to go get him, because he was pitching his tail off,” said Bedsole. “I didn’t want to have to bring someone in, and they not be able to throw strikes and let the merry-go-round get started. He told me that he would throw however many I needed him. He was one of the first ones to tell me how happy he was to get rid of the losing streak.”

Pike County travels to Dothan on Tuesday, before meeting the Eagles once again on Thursday in Goshen.