Friday night, Coffee starter Gavin McElroy turned in a stat line you’re not going to see very often – if at all. The Trojans stormed into Canton and dominated the Creekview Grizzlies in the first round of the state playoffs, winning game one 20-2 in three innings and game two 10-0 in five innings.
And McElroy was the winning pitcher in both games.
In game one, the Trojans scored five in the first, nine in the second, and six in the third. Creekview, meanwhile, managed just two runs in the first.
McElroy threw two of game one’s three innings. His outing lasted 33 pitches and he gave up two runs on two hits and walked two. Will Walker pitched a perfect last inning as Coffee cruised to a crucial first-game win.
“We came in hot. Everybody was hitting. We had some good at-bats and that allowed me to throw just 30 pitches then get out of there,” said McElroy after the game.
“They had some great pitching. They’ve got six guys who are 85 and up. But that was the best hitting performance we’ve had all year. Everyone, one through nine, hit exceptionally well. Even when we were 0-2, we battled and ran the pitch count up,” said Coffee head coach Scott Grove. “I thought if we could manufacture a few runs and pitch well, we would have a chance. I didn’t think we would score like we did.”
Several Trojans had big games at the plate. Jimmy Timothy stayed red-hot, going 3-4 with three RBI and four runs scored. One of his hits was a double. Hunter Klesko (2-3, five RBI, two runs) hit a three-run home run. Reid Harden (2-2, five RBI, two runs) hit a grand slam in the third. Ben Fussell, Taeven Harden, Will Walker, and Eli Wood also had two hits.
As the game unfolded, Coach Grove began thinking about starting McElroy in game two. “We thought that if we could keep scoring and get him out early, we could start him in the second game. When we went up big in the second inning, we got him out of there. And he was better in the second game than he was in the first,” said Coach Grove.
McElroy didn’t disappoint in game two. He threw a complete-game two-hit shutout, striking out four and walking one. This time, he threw 69 pitches – a total of 102 over the two games.
“We had awesome energy. It lit me on fire and motivated me to put up zeroes and handle business. If we bring that same energy, we’re going to be tough to beat,” said McElroy.
Coffee got off to a slow start in the nightcap, scoring one run in the first and one in the second before ending the game with eight runs in the fifth. “The fifth inning was McElroy’s last inning regardless of what happened. We were able to get to 10 and that was it,” said Coach Grove.
Timothy was again at the pointy end of the Trojan offense, going 2-3 with two RBI, a walk, and a run. He also doubled again. Fussell had two hits and two runs. Harrell and Reid Harden drove in two.
McElroy was no slouch with the bat on Friday night, either. Over the two games, he was 2-6 with two RBI and a run.
The Trojans defeated a quality pitching staff on Friday night. Game one starter Ethan Hadarits, a senior, is a talented pitcher who beat top-ranked Pope earlier in the year. Coffee chased him with two outs in the second inning after scoring 12 runs (all earned) on 10 hits. The Grizzlies opted to start their ace, Georgia Tech commit Luke Nitkowski, in game two. He made it 4 1/3 innings before he left the mound. The Trojans scored 10 runs (all earned) on nine hits against Nitkowski. Two other Creekside pitchers saw action – Peyton James and Garrett Ray – but neither recorded an out.
McElroy is the second member of Coffee’s exclusive two-wins-in-one-day-during-the-playoffs club. Coffee baseball historians will remember the 1983 state championship season when the Trojans went to Jesup down 0-1 for a winner-take-all doubleheader against the Wayne County Yellow Jackets in the playoffs. Future major leaguer Riccardo Ingram (whose name adorns the Coffee hitting facility at Charles Wilson Field) threw a complete game in Coffee’s game one win. Head coach Joe Pope sent Ingram back to the mound for game two, in which he also threw a complete game for a Trojan sweep. Coffee would go on to win a second consecutive state championship that year.
The South Paulding Spartans gave the Trojans a gift when they defeated the Northgate Vikings 2-1 and 4-3. Coffee will host South Paulding next weekend in Douglas for round two of the playoffs. The two teams will play a doubleheader on Friday night then, if necessary, a third game on Saturday.
“We’re going to enjoy this win tonight. Then we’ll go right back to work tomorrow. I don’t know if we’re going to win next weekend but we’re certainly going to be prepared,” said Coach Grove.
“Creekview is a really good team. But we had the energy and the momentum. If we keep playing like that, we can beat anyone,” said McElroy.
The Trojans are 20-11 this season.
