By DAN HOEHNE
daniel.hoehne@newssun.com
SEBRING - The rain came unexpected, and so was the resolve of the visiting DeSoto Bulldogs in Sebring's late-night, 4-3 win at Firemen's Field.
DeSoto, scrambling into the season with one coaching change and then another unexpected one, were taking the field for just the second time and were facing Blue Streak flame-thrower Jordan Baker.
But the Bulldogs scratched for a run in the top of the first with some errant fielding helping them along.
Baker did strike out two to get out of it and his batmates answered back as some sloppy Bulldog fielding allowed for two errors and evened it up at 1-1.
Some control problems plagued Baker in the second as he plunked the first batter and later saw a pick-off throw get away and send the runner all the way to third.
An RBI single followed, but that would be it, for the moment.
The next two half-innings went quickly, before the Streaks scored twice to take the lead in the bottom of the third.
With one out, Wyatt Johnson singled up the middle and gave way to designated runner Landon Willey.
Willey stole second and one out later, came around on a Dane Maddox double to right.
Ty Little then drew a walk and when Brad Doty's grounder to third was thrown away, Maddox came in to score for a 3-2 lead.
But the Bulldogs were let back in with an error to start the fourth, a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch that evened it up at 3-3.
Which was when the rains came, sure and steady, and caused a half hour delay as the tarps to cover the mound and home plate were brought out.
When play did resume in the bottom of the fourth, Justin Acevedo singled to right with one out, but was stranded.
Baker mowed DeSoto down in order in the top of the fifth, but the rain came again, a bit more insistently this time around, and it was more than an hour later when play would resume.
"(Baker) probably had his best outing of the year," Sebring head coach Buck Rapp said. "Still some control problems, but much better this time out. And after that long of a delay, I wasn't going to put him back out there. He got his work in and you can't bring a pitcher back after that kind of delay."
Matt Portis came in when the rain finally subsided and held DeSoto down over the next two innings, though the Streaks couldn't muster anything either, until the bottom of the seventh.
Then, a lead-off walk got a runner on, with Willey coming in to take over on the basepaths.
A passed ball moved him to second and a pitch in the dirt allowed him to steal third.
Then it was just a matter of a fly ball just deep enough off Doty's bat to bring the winning run in after a long night.
"We've still got things to work on and gave away too many runs," Rapp said. "But we're a young team with only one returning starter from last season.
"When we played Lake Placid the other night, I thought we were the better team, but realized that (the Dragons) have a lot more varsity experience," he continued. "(Catcher) Wyatt (Johnson) is the only returning position starter from last year, so we have a lot of guys getting their first varsity experience as starters. But we're working and getting better."
With the weekend to rest up, Sebring hits the road at Bartow Tuesday, hosts Hardee Thursday and travels to Lake Wales for a contest Friday.
Sunday, February 24, 2013 - www.newssun.com/SUN-2-24-13-SebBaseball