Hornet baseball tripped up by rival Knights in sweep

Quest for third straight GISA finals push ended

mbrown@sunmulti.com

Players for both Westfield and Deerfield-Windsor on the Hornet baseball field Saturday carried memories of 2011, the last time the rival programs met in a postseason setting. The Knights from Albany evened the score of losing that GISA AAA finals to the Hornets by blocking Rob Fitzpatrick’s and his charges’ chance at one more championship run.

Westfield’s two-year streak of reaching the last series of the season ended as Deerfield-Windsor swept their second-round best-of-3 in Perry. Both games went in the Knights’ favor by one-run scores, 7-6 and 3-2. Four of Deerfield-Windsor’s runs in Game 1 were unearned, and in Game 2 Justin Glover smashed a no-doubt walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the eighth inning.

While the Knights, who finished in second place this season to Tiftarea in Region 3-AAA, will go on to face Brookwood (also from 3-AAA) in the semifinals, Fitzpatrick must say goodbye to a large senior class that played major roles in both Westfield’s title team of 2011 and last year’s runner-up.

The Hornets won Region 2-AAA this season and only previously faced Deerfield-Windsor two times on neutral fields. Westfield won both games, including a 1-0 score at Frederica Academy.

Garrett Brown pitched all seven innings of Game 1 suffering the hard-luck loss. The Knights had two three-run innings, and in each case two errors behind Brown opened up major opportunities for the visiting rivals.

To set the tone for the day, Khrohn McClain, star running back, reached base as his fly ball was dropped in the outfield. Harris Webb, to start a good day for the shortstop at the plate, singled; both he and McClain went to scoring position on another misplay in the Hornet outfield.

David Hines grounded out to third baseman William Amos. It was no standard play, though, as Amos first had a chance to pick off McClain. The base umpire ruled McClain safe at the bag, and as Amos made his throw to first, the Knight second baseman broke for home (his run unearned).

Weston King put two earned runs on the board with a home run over the left-field wall. Brown proceeded to strike out pitcher Coleman Butler and Sam Shellhaas; he would go on to fan 10 Knights in all.

Westfield’s bats got to Butler in the bottom of the second. Dustin Hall had Fitzpatrick’s most productive day at the plate, and it began with a first-pitch leadoff single. With two on base, Beau Holcomb fouled off two bunt attempts. He therefore swung away at 1-2 and doubled to right driving in Hall.

Shortstop Cole Brannen worked full counts all game. He drew a walk to fill the bases, and though McClain and Webb turned a double play, the Hornets had a second run.

McClain singled to lead off the top of the third and stole second base. Webb reached on an error, and though Hines would double in McClain, centerfielder Reid Hudson threw out Webb to catcher Evan Williams at home.

Down 4-2 in the home third, Westfield strung together a tying rally with just two hits. Those were back-to-back doubles by Brown and Wayne O’Neal. The senior first baseman touched home on Hudson’s groundout.

Following a two-out walk, Glover replaced Butler on the mound. He struck out Holcomb, but as strike 3 got away the inning continued. Brannen’s 3-2 walk filled the bases, but the home team could not bring in a lead run.

Deerfield-Windsor was close to leaving two on base in the top of the fourth as McClain hit a fly ball with two outs. That baseball, though, hit the grass (the second error of the frame), and as all runners were moving one was able to break the tie.

The Knights weren’t finished as Webb singled in two more for 7-4.

Brown stayed in, retired eight in a row and gave up only one more hit to Webb in the seventh.

Twice, Hall singled with two outs to drive in one run each time. O’Neal singled and scored in the bottom of the fourth, and in the sixth Brown reached base on a hit. Glover would retire the side in order – the only time that happened for Knight pitching – in the home seventh.

GAME 2

As the teams switched places on the scoreboard, the nightcap turned out to be mainly a pitching duel between Amos and King. Amos, a junior, worked six full innings allowing seven hits and one run, which was earned. The Hornets did not hurt themselves defensively with Amos on the mound; he in fact got a 6-4-3 double play against King to end the bottom of the first.

King retired the first six batters he faced with five straight groundouts until Gehrig Broxton led off the top of the third with a hit.

The scoreless battle didn’t end, however, until the home third as the Knights had two on with out. The run scored on a Webb RBI out.

The game also had dueling catchers as both Williams and Ryan Toole threw out base runners to end each half of the fourth. Williams caught two more in Deerfield-Windsor’s half of the fifth.

It was Hall who got Westfield going towards the tying run in the fifth. He singled and stood on third base as the Knights turned their own double play. Holcomb would then stroke an RBI single to right.

The Hornet defense further protected the tied score when Hines doubled with one out and King was put on intentionally. With one out, shortstop Barrett Stanley caught Butler’s screaming liner while Broxton, at second base, robbed Shellhass of a line-drive hit.

Each side pitched out of seventh inning trouble, that including the work of Broxton in relief.

Westfield had the top of the order up for the eighth, and Stanley reached on an infield hit. He advanced all the way home on a pick-off error and back-to-back long flies. Brown got credit for the RBI giving his team their first lead and the shot at forcing a third game.

But the Knight half began with a two-base error and one-out walk. Butler bashed a double that retied the score 2-2. Glover had his chance to win the game as again Westfield did an intentional walk, and the winning pitcher of Game 1 delivered.

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