Mayo — MAYO-For for the second time in a week, Lafayette surrendered a seven-run lead to drop its fourth straight game.

After dropping three games in the Panhandle over spring break, the Hornets were shellshocked Monday night at home by Madison.  

Madison County 21, Lafayete 14

Things couldn’t have started off any better for Lafayette, who scored seven runs in the first inning and chased starter Justin Sermon out of the game after only two-thirds of the inning.

However, from then on, Madison began to chip away little by little to come from behind and knock off Lafayette 21-14 Monday night in Mayo.

Madison scored 14 of its 21 runs with two outs, including all four in the second to pull within three at 7-4. A seven run third inning, allwoed the Cowboys to take a 11-7 lead.

Lafayette cut the lead in half on Evan Barrington’s 2 RBI single to right to make it 11-9 after three.

However, every time the Hornets scored, the Cowboys answered back as they answered with two runs in the fifth inning on a two run home run, one in the sixth and seven runs in the seventh.

Trailing 13-9, Lafayette cut the lead to 13-12 after five innings scoring two runs with two outs via hit batter, error and a texas leaguer blooper.

Again Madison answered back to take a 14-12 lead into the seventh inning after scoring on a pass ball in the sixth.

Ahead 14-12 in the top of the seventh, Madison put the game away scoring six runs with less than one out to take a 21-12 lead.

Lafayattee wouldn’t go away quite though scoring two runs in the final inning. Evan Perry singled past third, stole second and advanced to third on an errant catcher throw to second base. Brooks Laminack walked and stole second to put the Hornets on second and third with no outs.

Two batters later, Chris Mercedes lined a double down the line scoring both Perry and Laminack cutting the lead to 21-14.

“I told the team we did some good things, like swing the bats well and we drove the ball to right a lot,” Lafayette head coach Jamie Fike said.

“We just have to not give up cheap outs, its hard to pitch from behind when your behing in the count 3-1 and 2-1,” Fike said. “We need to throw most strikes and keep guys off balanced.”

Fourteen of the 21 runs were scored with two outs something Fike was concerned about.

“Two out hits win championships. We need to bare down, we tend to ease up after getting the first two outs, we need to D up  and really focus better,” Fike said.

The loss had to sting both players and coaches but they quickly had to forget it with a huge District game with Maclay the next day.

 “We haven’t reached our potential yet, we will be in a good spot come playoff time,” Fike said.

“All these non-district games like tonight are really meaningless,” Fike said. “Sure you want to win, but tomorrow against Maclay is more important. We win, we clinch the No. 2 seed in the district tournament. We need to pound them and give them all they got.”

Lafayette (6-10) traveled to Maclay Tuesday April 6 for a huge District 4-2A game and will hosts Hamilton County April 13 at 7 p.m.     

Chipley 2, Lafayette 1

Lafayette ended their spring break panhandle trip on a sour note dropping their third straight game.   

Beau Rodgers doubled to center and scored on Austin Henderson’s RBI double to right field to give the Hornets a 1-0 lead.

Ethan Perry went 1-for-4, Rodgers was 1-for-2, Austin Anderson was 1-for-3 and Gary Lee Herron was 1-for-3 for the Hornets (6-9) in the 2-1 loss March 29 in Chipley.

Chipley scored both runs in the fifth, thanks to one hit, walk, two hit batters and an error to give them a 2-1 lead.

Holmes County 14, Lafayette 4

Ethan Perry was 3-for-4 with 4 RBIs to lead the Hornets (6-8) offensively in a 14-4 loss March 30 to Holmes County in Bonifay.   

Wayne Atwell started the second off getting hit by a pitch and Evan Barrington walked, before Perry lined a double to right field scoring Atwell and Barrington.

Barrington reached on a fielder’s choice in the fourth and Perry followed with a 2 RBI home run to center field.

Holmes County put the game away though with a seven-run third, three-run fourth and two-run sixth.

Graceville 10, Lafayette 9

 (11 innings)

Lafayette (6-7) raced out to a 9-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth, before surrendering eight unanswered runs in a 10-9 loss March 29 at Graceville.

The Hornets jumped out to a 6-0 lead through three innings, then extended it to 9-2 going into the bottom of the sixth.

Graceville responded by scoring seven runs in the final two innings and one in the bottom of the eleventh to win it.

Chipley reliever Chris Willis, who threw 114 pitches, earned the win after relieving starter Nick Paprzycki in the fourth.   

Brooks Laminack was 2-for-5 with 3 RBIs, Beau Rodgers was 2-for-6 with 1 RBI, Chris Mercedes was was 2-for-6 with 1 RBI and Wayne Atwell was 3-for-6 with 1 RBI.