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With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning Thursday, East's Gabe Gutierrez was fighting off pitches. On a full count, the senior finally found pay dirt with a line drive to left-center finally pushing the Leopards baseball team over Woods Cross.

Parker Van Dyke ran from third to score the go ahead run against the Wildcats. He pointed toward first as Gutierrez looked to the dugout.

"Huge. Full count, he battled all the way through," Van Dyke said. "[Gabe] sits back and hits a line drive into the gap. That was big time."

With Gutierrez's hit and the strength of Isaac Valles' arm, East was able to overcome a seven-run deficit to defeat Woods Cross 12-10.

The first inning was a murderous row for the Wildcats. The first seven hitters were able to cross home plate and put a seemingly insurmountable lead on the board. After East's starting pitcher, Kim Doane, was pulled, Valles got to work shutting down the Wildcats. Working a combination of fastballs and curves, he stopped the opposing offense.

"Isaac was incredible," Gutierrez said. "He threw a lot of ground balls and was hard to hit. He couldn't have done a better job."

Valles finished the game with three strikeouts and only two walks. He allowed only two hits, one of which he cleaned up by picking off the runner at first.

"Isaac did a great job getting the rest of the team involved," Van Dyke said.

East dug away at the lead and overtook the Wildcats in the fifth, when they scored seven runs of their own.

Van Dyke took over for relief and found himself in trouble in the seventh inning. The Wildcats were able to score three, but Van Dyke was undeterred.

With his uniform covered in dirt and his shirt untucked, Van Dyke was able to finish the job with a strikeout for the final out.

""Knowing how good a ballclub Woods Cross is, ending the game on a strikeout was amazing," Gutierrez said. —

East 12, Woods Cross 10

O The Leopards allow the first seven Wildcats to score.

• East pitcher Isaac Valles comes on in relief and shuts Woods Cross down, allowing only two hits.