South Warren's Dalton Taylor (right) slides safely at second before Greenwood's Adam Schneller can make the tag Monday, May 7, 2018, during South Warren's 14-4 win at Nick Denes Field. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

South Warren found plenty of ways to score runs against District 14 rival Greenwood in a 14-4 mercy rule-shortened victory at Western Kentucky’s Nick Denes Field, but the Spartans’ fourth-inning rally bordered on bewildering for most in attendance Monday night.

Leading 6-4 in the top of the fourth, the Spartans plated two more runs on a dropped third strike that would have been the third out of the inning. Gators catcher Dell Henk retrieved the ball, and appeared to step on home plate for a force out in the bases-loaded situation. Henk then flipped the ball toward the pitcher’s mound as the Gators began to trot off the field.

Trouble was, the home-plate umpire didn’t see Henk step on the plate and never made a call for the third out. South Warren coach Chris Gage saw that and kept sending his runners home. The first to cross the plate was Caleb Lloyd from third base, then Clay Nohel from second before the Gators realized their predicament in time to get the ball back to home in time to tag out Sam Gage for the third – or fourth, depending on your point of view – out of the inning.

“We saw that the catcher tossed the ball out and unless there’s an out called, we just tell them, ‘Keep running,’ ” Chris Gage said. “That’s all I was saying during the play was ‘Run, run, run.’ I didn’t really see it. I just saw the ball go out.”

Greenwood coach Jason Jaggers saw it clearly, and was baffled that the home-plate ump didn’t see Henk step on the plate.

“Our catcher is a very intelligent catcher,” Jaggers said. “He knows the game. He knows the rules. He knew in that situation with the bases loaded and two outs that he has to step on the plate. He had the ball, he stepped on the plate and made sure, and then he tossed the ball to the mound.

“And in a district game, he’s got to know the rule. I’m not going to elaborate on that, but our guy did right and it’s unfortunate that they both (the umpires) don’t see it. That ends up being a pivotal call that I think kind of changed the tide.”

Before that call, the game had been a back-and-forth battle featuring plenty of offense.

Greenwood (16-10 overall, 5-5 District 14) struck first with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first. The Gators, who were hosting at Nick Denes Field after moving their home game in the three-game series because the school is installing a geothermal system that runs partially under their baseball field, loaded the bases with no outs against Spartans starting pitcher Zack Beckner.

John Hicks drove in Greenwood’s first run on a sacrifice fly RBI, then Mac Ausbrooks followed with a run-scoring triple that nearly scored two if not for a quick relay that caught the Gators’ Maddox Burr out at home.

South Warren (16-9, 8-2) answered back in the top of the second with back-to-back, two-out home runs by Jacob Lacey and Beckner to tie the game at 2.

Beckner continued to labor in the second, allowing a run on a bases-loaded walk to Henk before surrendering an RBI single to Hicks.

The Spartans scored an unearned run off the Gators’ second straight error in the third, then Hunter Evans drove in another with an RBI triple before Drew Gregory put his team ahead for good at 5-4 with an RBI groundout off Greenwood starter Tyler Cook.

Beckner, a senior left-hander, got through the third after escaping a bases-loaded jam, then the Spartans plated their first run in the fourth on Nohel’s RBI single before the disputed no-call at the plate brought in two more.

South Warren put the game away in the fifth with a six-run rally against a trio of Greenwood relievers. Beckner delivered a two-run single, then Evans smoked a bases-clearing double to left-center field. Evans, a senior catcher who has signed to play at Western Kentucky next season, had a strong day on his future home field as he finished with a pair of hits and four RBIs.

“I’m always excited to play here,” Evans said. “It’s turf – it’s always nice, you can play whenever. I love playing out here, and it’s where I’ll be playing shortly.”

Beckner ended up getting the complete-game victory after shutting down the Gators in the bottom of the fifth to seal the 10-run mercy-rule win.

“At the beginning I didn’t have my stuff, really,” Beckner said. “I was throwing it inside on outside pitches, you know – not hitting my spots. I was trying to slow it down a little bit more and just hit my spots and then I let my defense work and they did pretty well.”

Nate Cunningham finished with two hits for Greenwood. Evans and Beckner paced the Spartans with two hits each.

Game 2 of the district series will be at South Warren on Tuesday at 7 p.m.

SWHS 023 36 – 14 8 1

GHS 220 00 – 4 8 3

WP – Beckner LP – Cook