AHSAA RECAP: Trinity slips past Providence Christian to advance; lee eliminated in 6A
Trinity’s Mac McClinton steals second base as Jake Smith leaps high for throw during TPS win on Saturday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
The look of frustration was evident on the faces of the Providence Christian players as Trinity was possibly one hit away from ending the best-of-three playoff series via the mercy rule.
Two innings later, it was Trinity fighting to keep its composure as the Eagles had trimmed the deficit to one run and had the potential game-winning run in scoring position.
Pitcher-turned-shortstop Fleming Hall drifted back and forth in shallow left field as Frank Wells’ popup was moving in the shifting wind currents. The freshman bobbled the popup, then fell to the ground cradling the ball with both hands as the Wildcats escaped with a 10-9 victory on Saturday afternoon at Whittle-Armstrong Field.
“It was extremely nerve-wracking,” Hall said. “To see that ball go up in the air, I didn’t know what to think. Just catch it.”
In a game that supplied more drama than most three-game series, the Wildcats closed the book on a memorable first-round series and will now travel to Mobile on Friday to face Cottage Hill Christian in the second round of the 3A state playoffs.
“I don’t like to play Providence in the first round,” first-year Trinity coach Jarrod Cook said. “Their area was brutal. Look at Wicksburg and coach (Jarrod) Wagner does a great job. Any one of those three teams (including Houston Academy) could have made a run in the playoffs. We’re very fortunate to be able to play this one at home and get out of here with a win.”
The theme of the series was simple -- throw strikes and play defense. The execution, on the other hand, left a little to be desired. In the first game, Providence Christian (18-12) won 7-0 with the help of two-out hits and four walks and a hit batter, with four of those lapses by Trinity pitchers finding their way into the scoring column.
In the second game, Trinity (25-5) pounded struggling Providence pitchers in a 15-3 victory. On Saturday, the theme shifted from one team to the other as the Wildcats scored five of their 10 runs with two-out hits and Hall survived a brief hiccup in the fourth inning with five innings of standout pitching as Trinity built a 10-2 lead.
“He was pounding the zone, he was throwing strikes and that was all we needed,” Trinity catcher Grayson Ashe said. “That’s what Coach Cook always wants us to do, that’s what he preaches as a pitching coach. If you throw strikes, you get ground balls.”
The freshman allowed no hits in the first five innings, but a dropped popup by shortstop Ben Easterling in the fourth was followed by a pair of walks by Hall as the Eagles trimmed the deficit to 4-2.
“I just lost focus a little bit,” Hall said. “They’re a well-coached team. They hit the ball well, especially the No. 2 batter (Troy signee Jake Smith). He’s an amazing player. They all are.”
Hall’s offense seemed to bail him out an inning later. It looked to be Trinity’s day as Smith had taken the mound in relief, only to watch his defense collapse with a fielder’s choice bunt that left everyone safe, a throwing error on another bunt, a balk and an infield hit that pushed the Wildcats’ lead to 10-2 with runners on first and second. A well-placed hit would have ended the game on the 10-run mercy rule.
“We actually talked about that during (the ensuing) play,” Cook said. “We said, look, we’ve got a chance to end this thing early and put it away, we’ve just got to be smart on the basepaths. We just froze. It’s one of those plays we have to learn from.”
A grounder by Easterling to shortstop sent Mac McClinton scrambling back to second, but the force was in effect and his late break for third resulted in a forceout at second and a tagout at third, an unusual double play that killed the rally as the momentum suddenly shifted to the Eagles.
Now it was Trinity’s turn to fall apart as a pair of hit batters finished the day for Hall and reliever Walker McClinton gave up a two-run double to Win Brock, another runner reached base on an error and two more runs suddenly cut the lead to 10-8.
As the Eagles prepared for their final push in the seventh, the Wildcats turned to Ashe as their closer.
“It’s one of those (situations) we’ve been talking about for weeks,” Cook said. “If we ever get to this situation, we’re going to win it or lose it with our older guys.”
Ashe never considered the possibility of taking the mound for the third game, but now his season, and that of his teammates, hung in the balance.
“I never thought about it that way,” Ashe said, “but I knew we were going to come out and we were going to compete and get a win today.”
A leadoff walk and a one-out infield single put the game-tying run on base. The Eagles scored one run when Matt Dave Snell reached base before the throw made it to first, trimming the deficit to one run and putting the game-tying run on third base with one out.
“Coach has always told me, just say hey, I’ll give you another one,” Ashe said. “You’ve got to just keep relying on your defense and trusting them.”
Those chances came moments later as Brock popped up to Ashe’s replacement at catcher, Jordan Jenkins, and Wells followed with the game-ending popup to Hall.
“Providence is a very good team,” Ashe said. “It just all came down to who wanted it more.”
Perhaps it was fitting that Hall, the freshman who had given Trinity the lead with his one-hit performance on the mound, secured the victory with his bobbling, desperation grab in shallow left field.
“I love that kid,” Cook said. “He’s the most composed guy we’ve got. He’s grown up in a year. He’s obviously very talented but nothing bothers him. He’s got the right demeanor, the right grit, the right toughness.”
Pelham 14-10, R.E. Lee 0-0
The Generals took two hard loses in the first first round of the Class 6A playoffs at Paterson field. It was Lee’s first home games in the playoffs since 2014.
“We just not play well tonight and I am disappointed to end our season,” coach Daniel Ballard said. “I am really proud of our team this year. They won the area championship for the first time in nine years, and won 14 games is the most wins since 2015.
“We lose three seniors - Javeon Vansandt, Jeffredrick Faire and Jamori Whiting. This team faced a lot of adversity this year and faced it well. Moving up to 7A will be difficult but we are excited about the challenge.”
TJ ambert and Javeon Vansandt and Kalab Fannin all had hits in the first game.
The Generals finish the season 14-18. Pelham (12-14-1) advanced to face Saraland.