3A QUARTERS: UMS-Wright ends Trinity's season with sweep
UMS-Wright’s Olin Ward tags out Fleming Hall heading to third in Trinity’s loss in the Class 3A quarterfinals at Whittle-Armstrong Field on Thursday. (Tim Gayle)
By TIM GAYLE
UMS-Wright didn’t come up with every hit when they needed it. But they came up with the ones that mattered most, scoring five runs in their last at-bat over two games to sweep a quarterfinal doubleheader from Trinity, 4-1 and 4-2, at Whittle-Armstrong Field on Thursday afternoon.
UMS-Wright (24-11) advances to the 4A semifinals next week, where the Bulldogs will face Area 1 rival Bayside Academy in Daphne. Trinity, the defending 3A state champions, ends its season in the 4A quarterfinals at 22-14.
The two games featured standout pitching performances from both starters on both sides, with Sutton Snypes escaping an early jam for the Bulldogs and Alex Sherman putting together a strong performance for much of the second game.
“It was outstanding, Sutton and Alex both, especially Alex in the last two innings as he was struggling with his control a little bit,” UMS-Wright coach Kevin Raley said. “And (reliever) Olin (Ward) has done this all year, gone in and gotten three outs and saved games.”
Both starters went six innings, with Snypes allowing just three hits and one run, none earned, and Sherman allowing four hits and two runs.
Trinity starters Walker McClinton and Wesley Stallings were nearly as impressive, with McClinton pitching 6.2 innings and allowing five hits and four runs, none earned, while Stallings pitched 5.1 innings and allowed seven hits and four runs.
“You’ve got to give them a lot of credit,” Trinity coach Jarrod Cook said. “They came up with the big hits when they needed them. But our guys, Walker and Wesley, just competed their tails off, just like they have as soon as we got in the playoffs. I can’t be more proud of those two and all of our guys. I don’t think anybody expected us to be here after the start we had. We grew up and got better as the year went on. Just blessed to coach these guys.”
UMS-Wright survived a pair of first-inning errors that put the first two Trinity batters, Fleming Hall and Cooper Bernier, on base. Hall took off for third on a failed bunt attempt by D.M. Lieux and was thrown out at third before Lieux flied out, Ross Sanders was hit by a pitch and Brady Rascoll grounded out to end the inning.
“Just not smart baseball,” Cook said. “We made a bad decision there. First and second, nobody out, our best hitter up and we just made a bad decision and it cost us.”
The Bulldogs would get an unearned run in the second inning, but a two-out single by Bernier in the fifth drove in Brady Bennett to tie the game.
In the seventh inning, Will Taylor’s fly ball to left was dropped by Webber McClinton and two outs later, the Bulldogs were down to their last out when John Ramsay singled, Ward tripled and Cole Blaylock doubled, driving in three runs.
In the second game, a similar scenario unfolded as Bennett drew a leadoff walk by the Wildcats in the fifth, Wilson Albrecht followed with a bunt single and Hall and Bernier drove in both runners with a single and sacrifice fly, respectively, for a 2-1 lead.
UMS-Wright, designated the home team in the second game, answered with a double by Parker Barraza, followed by an RBI single from Ramsay to tie the game. In the sixth inning, again in their last at-bat, Taylor had a one-out RBI single before Ty Waters singled, Barraza struck out and Ramsay was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Ward drew a walk to force in a run for a 4-2 lead.
“We have the utmost respect for Trinity,” Raley said. “We knew, coming up here, it was going to be a battle. We scored three late in the first game and one in the fourth, one in the fifth and two in the sixth (in the second game) but it wasn’t easy. They didn’t hand it to us. We had three or four two-out hits and when you get two-out hits, that’s a beautiful thing.”
Ramsay went 2 for 4 with an RBI to lead the Bulldogs. Waters, Taylor and Blaylock also had two hits.
Sanders went 3 for 5 to lead the Wildcats. Bernier and Albrecht went 2 for 4.
“They’ve got nine seniors,” Cook said. “They had a couple of guys step up in big situations and didn’t try to do too much and they came up with the big one and we didn’t. We had our opportunities early and we didn’t cash in. We didn’t play smart baseball early and that’s going to cost you against good, clean teams like UMS.
“You can’t beat yourself. And that’s exactly what they do -- they don’t beat themselves. They give themselves a chance to win every time they go out.”
But Cook didn’t want the doubleheader sweep to take away from his team’s playoff run. After an 0-5 start to the season, Trinity finished the year with 10 wins in its last 11 games before Thursday’s doubleheader.
“A lot of young guys on the field, a lot of first-time guys making a little playoff run here,” Cook said. “We’ll learn from it and be better from it and be back here next year, ready to roll.”