SPRINGFIELD – The Drifters entered last weekend’s series against the Bellingham Bells with a 1-5 record. While they’d only won a single game up to that point, every loss was a competitive battle. After the dust settled on Sunday, the Drifters finished the series 1-2, moving them to 2-7 on the year.
This series continued a Drifters trend of losing close battles, as Friday and Saturday’s games both went to extra innings; the Drifters fell by one run on Sunday.
“That’s our whole goal. We don’t talk about wins and losses, we just want to have a chance to win every game, and we have, we’ve been within one swing of winning every single game,” Drifters coach Jeff Lyle said after Saturday’s 9-8, 10-inning victory over the Bells.
This remains consistent with Lyle’s philosophy of putting player development first from the 2025 season. Throughout his time as coach, Lyle has reiterated that as long as everybody does the little things correctly – such as staying relaxed while there are runners in scoring position or executing on pitches – good results will follow.
That mindset was on full display Saturday. After the Drifters took a 3-1 lead by the bottom of the fourth inning, the Bells responded in the top of the sixth. After an error by the Drifters granted the Bells another run, Jake Lyall of the Bells hit one out of the park with two runners on base, totaling three more runs for the Bells. By the time the Drifters went up to bat next, the Bells were leading 7-3.
Still, the Drifters kept battling. While they didn’t score in the bottom of the sixth, they held the Bells scoreless in the top of the seventh. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, the Drifters saw their opportunity.
Colton Perez stepped up to bat with two runners on – mirroring the Bells’ situation from two innings prior – and on the first pitch, he sent the ball out of the park himself. This brought the Drifters to within one run of the Bells, and sent the Hamlin Sports Complex into a frenzy.
“It was a double feeling, the feeling of how bad our team needed that right there, and the feeling of his work paying off in the cage,” Lyle said. “He’s been working hard since he got here, working on actually getting to that pitch and being able to drive that pitch. So, seeing his hard work pay off for him and our team take advantage of that was huge.”
The Drifters tied the game in the bottom of the ninth to force extra innings. This was courtesy of a clutch RBI from Jaycob Villalpando on a two-strike count with two outs already on the board.
In the extra inning, the Bells scored one run in the top of the 10th, putting pressure on the Drifters yet again. The Drifters were thriving under pressure Saturday; Nick Gimino hit an RBI to tie the game before a Bells error allowed Austin Takahashi to steal home base, winning the game for Springfield 9-8.
“It’s a great feeling, and it started (on Friday), being down five nothing. The-never-say-die attitude, having just the approach of getting the next Drifter to the plate and pass the baton, and seeing how many guys we can get to the plate per any approach is working right now,” Lyle said.
The win was capped off by the Drifters’ first of three fireworks shows scheduled this year. The team fed off the larger crowd’s energy.
“There is an advantage when we do have the energy of the crowd tonight. When we started making the comeback. When we’re down early, you can feel a little bit of energy from the crowd, and then going into the bottom of the 10th we really felt the energy, so yeah, it helps a lot,” Lyle said.
