Infante delivers season saving slam as T-Birds top Panthers

One swing of freshman Danny Infante's bat kept the Cloud County Community College baseball team's season alive.
Cloud County, after losing the opening game of the best of three NJCAA Plains Regional tournament to Neosho County 12-10 on Wednesday, trailed the Panthers 5-2 with two out in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Needing a win to force a third and deciding game in the series, Infante blasted a grand slam home run on a 3-2 count to give the Thunderbirds a 6-5 victory.
Game three of the series is scheduled to be played today. The winner advances to play Kansas City Kansas Community College in the second round of the playoffs beginning Tuesday.
Cloud County (40-16) rallied from a 5-1 deficit in game two to extend its season.
Neosho County (25-32) scored single runs in the first, third and fifth innings to go up 3-0 in the game.
Shut out through the first five innings, the T-Birds scored its first run on a solo home run by Tom Poole in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Two runs in the top of the seventh inning gave the Panthers the 5-1 advantage.
A double by Brock Wollin drove in Adler Pierson in the bottom of the eighth inning, and Cloud County trailed 5-2.
Garrett Redden led off the bottom of the ninth inning with a walk and Griffin Stuewe singled.
Following a strikeout and a fly out, Ian Riley was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Infante worked a full count and then delivered the game-winning grand slam home run. He finished 2-for-4 at the plate with four runs batted in.
Rans Sanders, the third Cloud County pitcher in the game, picked up the win. He gave up one hit in two scoreless innings.
Christian Womble pitched the first five innings and allowed three runs on three hits. He struck out eight and walked seven.
Joel Benes gave up two runs on three hits in two innings. He struck out one and walked one.
Wollin had two hits for the T-Birds.
In the first game of the series on Wednesday, the T-Birds had a ninth inning rally come up short.
Neosho County scored one run in the first inning and two in the top of the second to get out to a 3-0 lead in the game.
Redden doubled home Poole in the bottom of the second inning, and Cloud County trailed 3-1.
The T-Birds put up three runs in the fourth inning to go on top, 4-3.
Infante hit a solo home run in the inning.
Kolden Howerton doubled home Wollin and scored on a ground ball by Poole.
Neosho County tied the game with a run in the top of the sixth inning.
The Panthers then erupted for six runs in the top of the seventh, and led 10-4.
Cloud County made it a 10-4 game when Willie Ponce scored on an error in the bottom of the seventh.
A solo home run by Poole in the bottom of the eighth left Cloud County trailing 10-5.
Neosho County upped the lead to 12-6 with two runs in the top of the ninth inning.
Riley led off the bottom of the ninth with a bunt single.
Infante singled and Wollin reached base on an error.
With one out, Poole blasted a grand slam home run to close the gap to 12-10.
Ty Wevers singled with one out, but a fly ball ended the game.
Cloud County used six pitchers in the game.
Giordano Mezzomo suffered the loss. He allowed four runs on two hits and walked one in two-thirds of an inning.
Poole was 3-for-5 at the plate, drove in six runs and scored three.
Infante had three hits and scored two runs.
Redden and Wevers had two hits each.