Walk off winner

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Zach Tanner was just trying to put the ball in play.

He already had a solo home run an inning earlier and just watched a 2-1 strike from Matt Meahls.

With one out and bases loaded, Tanner won the battle yet again.

Tanner hit a grounder between shortstop and third base, driving in Dustin Lewis from third as the Portland Rockets earned a 5-4 walk-off victory against the Summit City Sluggers on Thursday at Portland Memorial Park’s Runkle-Miller Field.

“Manufacture something,” Tanner said of his goal with the bags juiced and the game-winning run 90 feet away. “Even if I pop up or (hit) something in the infield there is always someone behind me.”

Tanner delivered with his second hit of the game to cap a rally of five straight runs to preserve the Rockets’ 14-game winning streak.

“Pretty clutch baseball,” said Portland manager Randy Miller, whose team fell behind 4-0 in the third inning, scored once in the fourth and fifth innings and tied the game with two runs in the sixth before walking away with the win.

Chris Miller led off the bottom of the seventh with a single through the left side, and his pinch runner Chase Ruiz was thrown out at second on a fielder’s choice. Dalton Tinsley doubled off the wall in right field prior to 2014 South Adams High School graduate Collin Affolder dribbling a grounder to Jay County product Kyle Selvey at shortstop.

Summit City’s infield was drawn in, and the first basemen didn’t get back in time allowing Affolder to reach safely to load the bases.

That sequence brought Tanner to the plate.

“He’s the RBI guy,” Miller said. “He finds a way. With two strikes, even he is that powerful.”

Summit City manager Lea Selvey — Jay County High School’s coach — knew precisely what the difference was with his team compared to the Rockets.

“When you play guys like the Rockets, they have some really good players, experienced guys,” he said. “They play relaxed. Sometimes the college kids, they think too damn much. Just play.”

Summit City (8-15), which has lost eight straight including a doubleheader to Portland on Saturday, nabbed a 2-0 lead in the second inning on a wild pitch and an RBI from Sam Tallow. One inning later, Tim Blankenbarger lofted a 1-1 pitch from Portland starter Derek Thobe over the fence in right field for a two-run homer.

Early on, Portland’s offense wasn’t able to break through off Slugger starter Jacob Hammels. The righty retired the first eight batters he faced before allowing consecutive walks. He didn’t surrender a hit until the fourth inning as Tristen Becker drove in Mitch Waters for the Rockets’ first run.

“He was cruising along pretty well then he had the one inning his pitch count got up there,” Selvey said.

One inning later, Lewis hit a liner up the middle to score TJ Lindstrand to cut Portland’s deficit to 4-2.

Tanner’s team-leading 10th homer of the season came in the top of the sixth inning, as the first offering from Meahls went deep into the woods behind left center field.

“He got one up in Tanner’s wheelhouse, didn’t he?” Selvey asked rhetorically, with a chuckle. “Oh my gosh.”

An error later in the frame gave Portland runners at the corners. Becker, who was standing on first, took off early for second, prompting a Meahls throw to Kyle Selvey at short. Portland’s courtesy runner Logan Scrogham took off from third to score the game-tying run.

“We turned it around just taking advantage of their miscues,” Tanner said of the slow start offensively. “If you do that you can put yourself in the ball game. If you don’t, you’ll be down behind the 8-ball.

“Commend the guys for sticking with it and taking advantage of all the mistakes left out on the field.”

Jimmy West picked up the win in relief as Thobe didn’t factor into the decision. West allowed one hit and a walk while striking out three in three innings of scoreless work. Thobe gave up four earned runs on six hits. He struck out a half dozen and walked one.