Better late than never. That’s about the best way to describe the CCA Patriots’ sweep of the Westwood Wildcats Thursday afternoon in the semifinals of the state playoffs – especially if you’re talking about game one. The Patriots won game one 8-2 after trailing much of the contest by a 2-1 margin. They heated up a little earlier in game two, winning 10-2. CCA’s trio of pitchers used over the course of the two games – Blake Bryant, Thomas Gentry, and Jonathan Rutland – held the Wildcats to just five hits. The Patriots, on the other hand, lit up Westwood for 24 hits and 15 walks.
In the first game, Bryant put on a clinic. Save for a rough first inning in which he gave up two runs on two hits, Bryant had a nearly flawless outing. After that first inning, he settled down and took over the game. Westwood didn’t get another hit over the next six innings. Bryant struck out 15 and walked two in the 104-pitch complete game.
While Bryant was dealing, his offense was doing the exact opposite. The Patriot bats were sluggish for much of the game and CCA squandered several opportunities to break the game open. In each of the first five innings, the Patriots had at least one runner in scoring position. And in the third, CCA had the bases loaded with one out. They got exactly one run out of those opportunities and, in the third, ended the inning on a double play with the final out coming at home.
The frustration was palpable and to say that head coach Jeremy Coram was frustrated would be quite an understatement.
Then the sixth inning rolled around. If you’re a Westwood fan, this inning is going to hurt for a long time. It didn’t start out well for the Patriots – the first two batters went down on strikes. Then the Patriots rallied, scoring seven runs with two outs to pull ahead 8-2.
After the pair of strikeouts, Landon Williams hit a fly ball to right field that probably should have been caught. Fortunately for CCA, the ball fell benignly to the outfield grass. Williams made it safely to second and the play was ruled a double. Then Gray McLean followed with a single that scored Williams. McLean advanced to second on the throw. Gentry and Bryant walked to load the bases then Skyler Woods singled, scoring McLean and Gentry. Clay Phillips walked to load the bases again then Rutland walked, bringing in Tyson Crosby, who was pinch running for Bryant. Jett Hart finished off the rally with a three-RBI single to put the Patriots up 8-2.
Gentry was 2-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Woods drove in two and Hart drove in three.
The win put the Patriots one game away from an appearance in the state title game. And they weren’t going to squander the opportunity.
Both teams scored a run in the first inning. CCA, however, kept adding runs while the Wildcats couldn’t get anyone around the bases again until the sixth inning. The Patriots scored one in the third, three in the fourth, four in the fifth, and one in the sixth to cruise to a 10-2 win and an opportunity to win a third state baseball championship.
Gentry was nearly as efficient as Bryant had been a game prior. He went five innings, allowing just one run on one hit while striking out 12 and walking just three. Rutland entered in the sixth and threw the final two innings, striking out five and walking one.
Gentry helped his own cause at the plate, going 3-4 with three RBI. McLean was also 3-4; he scored three times as well. Bryant, Woods, Phillips, and Rutland each had two hits. Two of McLean’s hits were doubles. Rutland and Gentry also doubled while Bryant tripled for the second time on the day.
The Patriots will face the #7 seed – and region opponent – Vidalia Heritage Eagles in next week’s state championship series. The Eagles have been on quite a roll the last two weeks, knocking off the #2 and #3 seeds to advance to the finals. CCA and Vidalia Heritage played each other three times during the regular season in March. The Patriots won all three games – 14-4, 5-0, and 1-0.
The state title games will be played on the Columbus Clingstones’ field in Columbus. The Clingstones are the double-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. The Patriots and the Eagles will play one game on Thursday and the second game on Friday. A third game, if necessary, would be played on Saturday. Game times are tentatively scheduled for 10 a.m.