Elite Eight Bound

By Bryan Fazio
The Valdosta Daily Times

May 16, 2008 02:34 am

— VALDOSTA — As Schley County scored run after run against Lanier County Wednesday, it appeared things couldn’t get much worse for the Bulldogs as they lost 17-4 during game one of a three-game series.
What a difference a day makes.
The Bulldogs, armed with their No. 1 pitcher, pounded Schley 21-5 in three innings to advance to the Elite Eight of the Class A baseball playoffs.
With Lanier’s No. 3 pitcher hurt all season long, any series that went past two games brought a little skepticism to head coach John White.
“We knew we were at a disadvantage early, because our No. 3 pitcher had been hurt all year,” White said. “I felt like if we went three games, we would be in trouble. But we got our starting pitcher out of the game early Wednesday and was able to bring him back in Thursday.”
While starter Nathan Bass had to go just three innings Thursday, he was effective at keeping the Wildcats at bay while the Bulldogs poured on the runs.
Down 2-0 in the first inning, the hit parade started early for the Bulldogs.
Lanier sent 14 batters to the plate, connecting on six hits, including a home run, while walking four times. Ryan White led off the inning with a single, but was called out on a fielder’s choice hit by Nathan Bass. Ethan McRae then flied out to the second baseman for the second out. Lanier wouldn’t get the last out, however, until 10 runs crossed the plate.
Josh Fender moved Bass to third on a double, and both scored on a single by Corey Martin. Brandon Mastin was hit by a pitch, to move Martin to second, and Jordan Patton brought them both in on a two RBI single. With Patton on first, Wayne Palmer was the first of four consecutive batters to walk. Palmer also marked the last full batter Schley starter Jessie Colter would face. Colter allowed four runs on five hits in just 2/3 inning.
Chad Crook replaced Colter, and didn’t fare much better as he finished the walk on Codey Fricke, and then walked White and Bass during their second at bats of the inning. With the bases jammed, Ethan McRae delivered the first of three Lanier home runs on the day, this one counting for four runs. After a Fender single, the Wildcats finally got out of the inning, but the damage was already done.
Schley would continue to claw at the lead, but the first inning, combined with a blistering third would be too much.
After two games of not hitting the ball well, the Bulldogs’ batters were on the mark, striking 13 hits, with McRae going 4-for-4, White going 2-for-2 and Fender hitting two more. Every Bulldog reached base and scored in the three innings of play.
Schley tacked on two more runs in the second three hits, but the Bulldogs responded in kind.
Mastin led off the inning on a bad throw by Schley County’s catcher Will Gordon, and would later score on a single by Patton. Fricke added another run on a single by Bass.
“We didn’t hit the ball well in the first two games,” White said. “(Thursday) we came out and hit the ball a little better.”
Schley put up one more run in the top of the third on a Taylor Law solo home run, before the Bulldogs put an end to the series.
McRaeled off with a single, moved to second on a single by Fender and then third when Martin hit into an error by the third baseman. McRae scored on a walk to Palmer, and then White cleared the bases on a three-run home run.
With the score 18-5, Lanier County was just two runs away from the 15-run deficit needed to end the game in the third. Bass walked, before McRae reached on an error, bringing Fender to the plate.
Fender put a ball over the fence in left center scoring three runs and bringing the Bulldogs on to the field for a celebration of the walk-off three-run home run.
“Ryan White and Nathan Bass, they didn’t hit in the first two games,” coach White said. “But they threw the knockout punch (Thursday).”
The Bulldogs will travel to Landmark Christian Tuesday as one of just eight teams remaining in the championship hunt.

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