The CCA Patriots probably shored up home field advantage for the upcoming state playoffs with their 2-1 win over Pinewood on Wednesday. However, they still had one game remaining – a Friday afternoon tilt against the Deerfield-Windsor Knights in Albany.
Earlier in the week, the jury was out on exactly what it would take for the Patriots to finish as one of the top two teams. Some didn’t think losses to Pinewood and Deerfield-Windsor would matter. Others thought a split would get CCA to where they needed to be.
The Patriots decided to leave nothing to chance and just win them both.
On Friday, CCA defeated the Deerfield-Windsor Knights 9-7. The game started out as a blowout but ended up being a nail-biter. The Patriots built what appeared to be a comfortable 9-1 lead through six innings. Then, in the bottom of the seventh, the Knights woke up and scored six runs, making Patriot Nation more than a little nervous in the final game of the year.
The Patriots were on cruise control for six innings. Blake Bryant made his first start in several weeks and he was in control for all six of the innings he pitched. He gave up one earned run on four hits while striking out eight and walking two.
While Bryant kept the Knights in check, the CCA offense went to work. The Patriots scored one in the second, three in the fourth, one in the fifth, and four in the sixth. A win looked like a foregone conclusion when the seventh rolled around. The Knights took advantage of a single and three walks to score a run and load the bases with one out. Then came the big blow – a bases loaded triple that scored three runs to narrow CCA’s gap to 9-5. Another single scored a run to cut the Patriots’ advantage to three runs. The Knights followed with a double and a single score another run and make the score 9-7. After the last hit, Deerfield-Windsor had runners at first and third, still with just one out.
Head coach Jeremy Coram called on his fourth pitcher of the night, Gray McLean. He gave up two hits but eventually coerced a flyout to left and a groundout to short to halt the Knights’ rally. The Patriots were 9-7 winners.
Bryant earned the win and McLean nabbed the save. McLean also went 3-5 with two runs scored. Thomas Gentry, Skyler Woods, and Clay Phillips had two hits. Phillips drove in three and Gentry drove in two.
The Patriots finish the season as region champions with a 17-7-2 overall record (8-1 in region play). The final rankings will be released Monday morning; however, CCA is expected to be sitting in the #1 spot. That would give them a first-round bye and home field for the quarterfinals and semifinals. Should the Patriots advance to the finals, those games will be played in Columbus at Synovus Park, the home of the Columbus Clingstones, a Double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves.