TIFTON — Not all walk-off hits make contact with a bat. Landon Parrish drove in the winning run for Tift County High Friday evening courtesy of a hit, a pitch that hit him on the arm with the bases loaded. In trotted Will Pridgen and the Blue Devils won 3-2 over Baker County, Florida.

Tift raised its record to 7-1. They are to meet West Nassau, Florida, Saturday at 5:30 p.m. This game is to be the second of the day for the Floridians, as they meet South Paulding at 3 p.m., also at Devil Diamond.

Late-inning magic carried the Devils through again. Trailing 2-0 going into the bottom of the fifth, they posted a two-spot to tie the score. Neither team scored in the sixth and Tyler VanSumeren set down the Wildcats in order in the top of the seventh. That meant if Tift could post any run at all in the bottom half, the game was theirs.

Pridgen began the inning by blooping a ball to centerfield. John Davis followed with a liner to right, with Pridgen having to hold up for a second on the bases to avoid being hit by it.

Mac Brooks’ job became to lay down a bunt, and for two strikes, he couldn’t do it. Whereas some teams would instead let a batter swing away, head coach Greg Williams kept the bunt on. Brooks got the bunt down in fair territory, and Pridgen and Davis moved up a base with only one out.

Figuring their chances were better for a force at every base, Baker intentionally walked VanSumeren to load the bases. Parrish stepped up to the plate and was nicked by the very first pitch.

Friday was a pitching duel between Ryan Whitley and Baker’s Hank Dyal. That was evident from the beginning. Whitley struck out the side and Dyal fanned two.

Both teams were too good for that fate all game, and it was up to the wiles of both pitchers in the frames after.

Baker had runners at second and third with one out in the second and Whitley stranded them with back-to-back K’s. There were runners on the corners with two down for the Devils in the third, but when Tift tried to goad the Wildcats into a long throw on an intentional rundown, the visitors were ready and  instead got the runner trying to steal home.

In between, Baker posted its first run. Evan Cannon singled past third to score Cole Springer. That was with one down, too, and the Wildcats also had runners on the corners. Whitley escaped with a strikeout and fly to right.

Ean Weldon had a big game behind the plate, picking a runner off first and catching another trying to steal second, both in the fourth inning.

An unearned run in the fifth brought the Wildcats’ lead to 2-0. Reese Taylor hit an infield single, then stole second. Two were down when Cannon reached on an error. The bases loaded soon after, but Whitley was again unrattled.

Finally, the Blue Devils got a rally going in the bottom half. With Dyal out of the game, they struck for back-to-back hits from Pridgen and Davis, the latter being a double. Brooks and VanSumeren hit sacrifice flies to right and it was a 2-2 game.

Whitley fanned nine hitters in six innings of work. VanSumeren recorded two more in the seventh. Pridgen and Davis had two hits for Tift. Pridgen scored twice.