By Bobby Herrell -- This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

WINCHESTER -- The never-give-up Colonels of James Wood came to life again Friday night at R. Hott Field, scoring the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the seventh to beat Skyline 3-2 in the Northwestern District baseball quarterfinals.

"There's no quit in these kids," James Wood coach Jared Mounts said. "All year long they've come back after being down. They have the biggest hearts I've ever seen."

Down 2-1 entering the bottom of the seventh, James Wood's Matt Copley reached base on an error. Then No. 9 hitter Travis Viands bunted, but Skyline pitcher Jon King threw wide to second base trying to get the lead runner, putting two runners on, including the winning run at first.

Tim Spore followed by laying down a near-perfect bunt and King had no play, loading the bases with nobody out.

After a strikeout, Brandon Sinecoff hit the ball to first, but Skyline first baseman Joe Comstock mishandled the ball. He recorded one out, but the tying run crossed the plate.

That brought up cleanup hitter Brock Lockhart with first base open. After a brief consultation, King pitched to Lockhart, who delivered a hit to the right side that Comstock made a nice play on, but with no one covering first, Lockhart won the race to the bag and the ballgame was over.

"I was running for the seniors," said Lockhart, a junior who was hitless until the seventh inning. "That's just the way we are, we're down and we just battle back. I was struggling at the plate and coach just said see the ball, hit the ball, and that's what I did."

Mounts added: "Give them credit, they beat us everywhere but the scoreboard, but our kids come out to play seven innings and we needed all of them tonight."

Skyline coach Nick Sborz was stunned after the seventh-inning rally.

"That's a heartbreaker right there, I feel bad for our seniors who played so hard. Jon King had the best performance I've seen out of him," Sborz said.

King went the distance, striking out nine and giving up no earned runs in a losing effort. Copley struck out six before giving way to Cooper Franks with two out in the sixth inning. Franks struck out two of the six batters he faced.

Hunter Leight took over the mound with two outs in the seventh and was credited with the victory.