Bears use two rallies in the 7th inning to sweep Columbus

Without Dillon Strickland, Tyler Flewellyn, Ryan Milton and Chandler Ring, Houston County High’s baseball Bears may not have stood much of a chance against the No. 1 Columbus High Blue Devils. It’s now a debate over which hero was more unsung.

Houston County, No. 4 in the same GHSA Class 5A rankings, on Tuesday pulled off two seventh-inning rallies at the Bear Den to sweep Columbus in their best-of-3 ‘Elite 8’ doubleheader and advance to Monday’s semifinals. Austin Hittinger, a starter all season in the outfield for coach Jason Brett, drove a double to deep center allowing Houston to knock off Columbus 5-4 in Game 1 (the score was 4-2 CHS going into the seventh). Game 2 went eight innings thanks to an improbable four-run top of the seventh by the Bears with all kinds of hi-jinks, and then Strickland – who played multiple roles after being inserted as the starting second baseman during the postseason – batted home the deciding run of an 8-7 final with two outs in the top of the eighth.

Columbus was No. 1 in 5A but finished second in Region 1-AAAAA to Northside-Columbus, which was No. 2. Both teams from Muscogee County, however, are now out of the chase for the GHSA championship of 2016. So are two other teams from Houston County’s 2-AAAAA region that made the top 10 – Jones County and Greenbrier.

The next opponent for the Bears in Monday’s semifinal series came down to a third game between Gainesville and Dalton. Gainesville not only won the contest, but also the toss to make Houston County travel to Hall County. These two schools also clashed in Gainesville in 2014’s semifinals, the Bears not only winning the series in three games but also the state 5A title. Whoever wins this series is the home team for the 2016 finals.

BEARS-DEVILS 1

The momentum of Tuesday’s opening contest swayed first on the side of the Bears then to the Blue Devils in the middle portion. In the bottom of the seventh, Columbus could not retire one batter when Blake Dawson, No. 1 in the order, happened to lead off.

All game Houston hitters created difficult plays on grounders in the infield, and Dawson did so in this instance legging out an infield single. D.L. Hall, one of the consistently hot bats all of Tuesday, ripped the single that chased Columbus starting pitcher Cason Greathouse.

Trent Grantham took the mound and faced big junior Jake Fromm in a situation where a long-ball would end the game in walk-off style. Instead, Fromm drew a walk to load the bases. Tanner Hall, senior first baseman, singled home the tying runs (4-4).

Hittinger, whose production at the plate picked up greatly since the region playoffs, stood in next where only a sacrifice fly was needed to win the game, but the Blue Devil outfield never caught up to his drive.

As the game progressed, however, it looked like Houston County would follow the simple script of dominant pitching supplemented by a little bit of offense to victory. Senior Tony Locey was on his game pitching three shutout innings with one hit allowed. That was on a 1-2 pitch to Jack Copley with two outs in the bottom of the first. Locey wasn’t walking anybody either, hitting the strike zone and fanning five.

For the run support, the Bears scored one run in the second and one more in the third. Hittinger led off the second with a single and was bunted to scoring position by Strickland. Locey advanced his teammate to third, though he was only out by half a step on the grounder to shortstop.

Designated hitter Austin Langford did one more soft grounder that went by the third baseman. The shortstop had to play the ball, but Langford beat the play easily and the Bears led 1-0.

D.L. Hall, leading off the third, doubled to the right-field corner. On 1-2, Fromm singled to center making it 2-0. Fromm had a perfect on-base percentage in this game as he was 3-for-3 prior to his seventh-inning free pass.

It was in the top of the fourth that Columbus began catching breaks on offense and scored all four of its runs. Copely, leading off, sent a full-count pitch to the left-field corner. Numerous Blue Devil batters were hit by pitches in the doubleheader, starting in this inning.

Columbus would have two in scoring position with one out due to a wild pitch, and on the next offering the visitors chopped a single over third base.

Locey hit Greathouse to load the bases, then umpires ruled a balk against the pitcher to plate the tying run. Austin Foster put down a squeeze bunt, and the play at the plate was called in Columbus’ favor. With two outs Dawson Weaver put his team up 4-2 on a base hit.

However, the inning ended with two in scoring position. For the game, the Devils left nine runners on base. In that total was Columbus’ sixth inning where it had a runner on every base but did not add to the lead.

Greathouse reached on an infield hit with one out. Two more hit batters filled all the bags and prompted a pitching change to Flewellyn. There were two outs when Flewelllyn made his rare pitching appearance, and he got Blake Hicks to fly out and kill the rally.

Flewellyn also pitched a scoreless top of the seventh even though two runners reached base. That work added to Houston’s outburst at the plate in the bottom half made him the winning pitcher.

Locey had eight strikeouts. Langford tripled with two outs in the home sixth but was stranded.

BEARS-DEVILS 2

Game 2’s initial pitching match-up was between D.L. Hall and Jonathan Brand. There were four double plays turned over the first three innings and an injury to Tanner Hall in the opening frame when the Bears were defending a sacrifice bunt. Tanner Hall not only returned after missing a few innings, he would earn the save for Ring, the winning pitcher.

Houston played as the visitors on the scoreboard, which meant Dawson and D.L. Hall would start a second-straight turn going back to the opener. They both had hits, but Columbus used the first twin-killing to escape any damage.

The Blue Devils scored in its half of the first on the play where Tanner Hall was injured. Hicks put down the bunt following Weaver’s walk, and Fromm, playing third base, had to rush to the ball. This inning ended with D.L Hall starting the double play from the mound.

Columbus upped the lead to 2-0 in the second. Foster singled with one out, stole second with two down and scored as Tristin Moran looped the ball into right. Umpires said Hittinger’s diving attempt at a catch was instead a trap.

But in the third inning, the Blue Devils let a chance for an even bigger advantage go to waste. Hicks singled up the middle to lead off and Copley walked. Jackson Mellenburg went for the sacrifice, put the ball in play, but it was to D.L. Hall, who not only forced out Hicks at third, but saw Fromm complete the double play to Jordan Hampton, the new first baseman.

Two more walks loaded the bases, but D.L. Hall caught Foster looking.

Houston got on the board for the first time in the fourth thanks to some errant play by the Blue Devils. Hittinger walked with one out and Strickland reached on a wild throw from first to second. Locey, the DH, singled making it 2-1.

D.L. Hall pitched four innings then turned things over to Strickland. Columbus got to him for one fifth-inning run after Copley’s leadoff double down the left-field line. On 3-2, Greathouse singled with one out. Copley was held up at third but scored on a bad relay home (3-1).

The Bears got the run back in the top of the sixth from Hittinger’s leadoff hit and Locey’s ground single to left. But no inning on defense would be normal for the Blue Devils the rest of this game, and they were one out away from preserving the lead. Dawson was at the plate and saw runners go to scoring position on a wild pitch. The senior beat out an infield hit that brought in the tying run.

Locey tried to score on the same play but was called out.

Columbus did its best to establish an insurmountable gap by scoring four runs in the home sixth. It all started with another hit batter and bunt. Hicks followed Weaver’s walk belting an RBI double.

Flewellyn made his second mound appearance of the day, but with the bases loaded Columbus scored three runs, which included Mellenberg’s RBI hit.

But even down 7-3, anything and everything went in favor of the Bears in the top of the seventh. Fromm doubled with one out and Tanner Hall singled. One run innocently scored from a force-out at second, but that last out eluded the Devils for the longest time.

Strickland walked and Locey struck out – but not for out No. 3 as Columbus didn’t catch the pitch and did a bad throw to first. That made the score 7-5 and had Brett digging deep into his bench. He used Milton as a pinch hitter, and he hit a ball in play botched at shortstop … botched enough that two runs scored for 7-7.

Ring pitched a long but scoreless home seventh walking two and hitting a batter to load the bases. Copely flew out to end the turn and bring about an eighth frame.

Just like in Game 1, Dawson’s turn was first and he singled on 0-2. D.L. Hall bunted him over, which meant Fromm would be put on the empty base. A passed ball with two outs moved the Bears to scoring position, and after Hittinger was intentionally walked Strickland singled and put Houston on top for the first time.

Tanner Hall pitched a perfect bottom half.

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