When the CCA Patriots scored their first run of the game Monday against the Vidalia Heritage Academy Eagles at Patriot Field in Douglas, it looked like the beginning of another dominating performance by the Patriots. And while the Patriots did eventually win 9-0, it wasn’t the runaway game that the score may indicate.
The bottom of the first wasn’t a pretty one to watch. An error, a hit by pitch, a base runner caught stealing, a wild pitch – there was enough sloppiness by both teams to go around.
CCA eventually scored one run on the aforementioned wild pitch for a 1-0 lead. But the floodgates that many expected after such an inauspicious first inning never opened.
Both teams settled down and nobody did very much for three and a half more innings. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, CCA made a little noise and, after being gifted a second chance by the Eagles’ defense, put the game away for good.
Landon Williams led off the fifth with a double. Gray McLean, CCA’s starting pitcher who was throwing a gem of a game, tripled to score Williams. After a pair of strikeouts, McLean scored on a wild pitch. Skyler Woods was at the plate at the time and he eventually walked.
The Patriots were up 3-0 – not an insurmountable lead at the time – when Mason Spivey hit a grounder that should have been the third out of the inning. However, an error on the play put runners on the corner and breathed new life into the CCA offense. Clay Phillips walked to load the bases. Then, with Jackson Knight hitting, pinch runner Tyson Crosby scored on a wild pitch for a 4-0 Patriot advantage.
Knight did the rest.
On a 1-2 pitch, Jackson connected and belted a three-run home run to left, staking a 7-0 CCA lead and effectively slamming the door shut on the Eagles.
The Patriots scored two more runs — on a wild pitch and passed ball in the sixth – to cruise to a 9-0 win.
McLean had a big game on both sides of the ball. He posted a 3-4 day with two doubles, a triple, two runs scored, and an RBI. He also threw a complete game two-hit shutout, striking out seven and walking none. He was efficient and effective; he only threw 73 pitches in the game.
Woods walked twice and singled. Phillips walked three times. Crosby was quite the thief on the basepaths, finishing with four stolen bases.
“I was really proud of how our guys played tonight. Last week’s road trip was a great experience but sometimes, when you’re coming off a trip like that, it can be hard to get back into your usual routine. We were a little slow out of the gate tonight but we got a gift in the fifth inning that our guys really took advantage of. But listen, Vidalia Heritage is a good baseball team and we’ve got to go to their place two more times this week. We’ve got our work cut out for us and we can’t afford to get off to another slow start against them. But we did some things tonight that good teams do. We stayed focused. We played solid defense behind a great pitching performance by Gray. And we made the most of an opportunity we were given. These kids play hard and never give up. We saw that again tonight,” said CCA head coach Jeremy Coram.
The Patriots face the Eagles two more times this week – both times at their place. The two teams play Tuesday and again Thursday. CCA is 15-1 and remains undefeated in region play.
