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Seventh-inning rally lifts Eagles past Hawks

SEFFNER -- All indications pointed to Friday's Brandon-Armwood game being a tight contest.

The Eagles and Hawks split a pair of games earlier in the season, shared identical 6-3 district records and had their aces on the mound.

The indications were correct.

Brandon's Angel Sustache hit a two-out single to drive in the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning and starter Josh Sawyer overcame a rocky start to lead the Eagles past the Hawks 5-2. "We're such fighters," Sawyer said. "We stay in the game until the seventh inning, until the game's over, until the fat lady sings."

With Jason Howard and Paul Cruz on first and second base in a 2-2 game in the seventh, Sustache ripped a curveball from Armwood starter Steve Clark up the middle past a diving Jerry Gonzalez.

"I knew they had my profile down and I'd been swinging at (Clark's) curveball," Sustache said. "He had a pretty decent curveball but he got it up a little bit and I got a hold of it."

Centerfielder Matt Joyce tried to cut down Cruz at the plate, but his throw sailed wide, allowing Howard to score and sending Sustache to third. Clark then uncorked a wild pitch to Ryan Macko, scoring Sustache and giving the Eagles a 5-2 lead.

Sawyer kept the Hawks off balance and seemed to get better as the game went on.

He surrendered a run in each of the first two innings, but was magnificent from that point on, scattering four hits to earn the complete-game victory.

How good was Sawyer?

After the second inning, the senior right-hander faced the minimum and surrendered one hit. In fact, the Hawks didn't get a ball out of the infield after the third against Sawyer, who finished with seven strikeouts and no walks.

"In the two years I've been here, he gets stronger as the game goes on and there's nothing you're going to do to take the ball out of his hand," Brandon coach Mike Bell said. "He wants it, he's in control, he's our leader (and) we'll go as far as Josh Sawyer takes us."

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