A sweep. That’s what the Coffee Trojans needed to finish the region schedule with a winning record.
And that’s just what they got.
The Trojans defeated the Veterans Warhawks Tuesday in Kathleen, which gave both teams a 6-7 region mark. The two were tied at third and fourth, respectively, in the region standings. Whoever took the series would be the third seed while the other program the fourth seed.
Things looked bleak for the Trojans in game one. The Warhawks jumped out to an early lead after a three-run second inning. Coffee clawed back with two in the fifth.
Then, in the bottom of seventh, they walked it off.
Conley McDaniel led off the seventh with a single. Ben Fussell walked then Jimmy Timothy reached on a bunt that loaded the bases. Barrett Harrell was next. After whiffing at the first two pitches he saw, he hit a sharp grounder to short that scored McDaniel. Veterans, however, threw the ball away, which allowed Fussell to score the winning run.
Timothy had three hits while Harrell drove in two runs – the tying and winning runs.
Starter Evan Lingenfelter and reliever Will Walker kept the Warhawks in check. Walker picked up the win in 1 2/3 scoreless innings.
The Trojans picked up where they left off for game two. Coffee never trailed despite finding themselves in trouble late in the game. The Trojans scored one in the first, one in the second, and two in the third to go up 4-1. The Warhawks added a run in the top of the sixth, which Coffee matched in the bottom of the frame. Morgan Lewis scored the Trojans’ final run on a Will Day bunt.
That run didn’t seem like much. But it came in very handy in the top of the seventh. Eli Vickers relieved Eli Wood for the final inning. Wood had thrown well, striking out seven, walking two, and giving up two runs on six hits in a six-inning outing. Tylan Glover led off with a single then scored when Kason Flowers singled with one out to center. The Coffee defense didn’t handle the ball well, which allowed Glover to score and cut the lead to 5-3. Flowers moved to third, putting the potential tying run on the on-deck circle with just one out.
Vickers, however, was unfazed. He retired the next two Warhawks on a strikeout and a fly out to left to end the game and complete the sweep.
Timothy led the way again, going 2-3 with a run. Fussell doubled for the Trojans’ only extra-base hit of the night.
Coffee is now 15-11 on the season. They completed region competition with an 8-7 record and the third seed in the upcoming playoffs. The Trojans wrap the regular season next week with games against Crisp County (Monday at 5:30 in Cordele and Thursday in Douglas at 6 p.m.) and Lowndes (Tuesday in Douglas at 6 p.m.).
