No. 3-seed Morgan County (20-10) handled business in the first round of the GHSA Class AAA state playoffs on Friday against No. 2-seed Mary Persons (26-6).
The two squads split the regular-season series, but the Bulldogs of MPHS won the last contest in Madison on Feb. 16. However, the Diamond Dogs got the last laugh as they swept their opponent in dominating fashion on Friday.
Morgan County head coach Merritt Ainslie was proud of how his team competed.
“The boys played really well,” Ainslie said. “As a coaching staff, we keep reminding the group that it’s all about them. We’re just trying to keep them physically and mentally fresh at this point in the season, but they handle the rest.”
Morgan County’s Jack Harper had himself a night at the plate.
The left-handed hitter had four hits in the series, blasting three home runs and totaling nine RBIs. He also had a triple, scored five runs and walked four times.
During game one, the Diamond Dogs got on the board early after Harper hit a two-run dinger to left-center in the top of the first inning, scoring senior Ben Coody.
Mary Persons would cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first inning as Brady Christman’s one-out double scored Aric Mock. The Bulldogs were looking to add more runs in the frame, although MCHS pitcher Sam Schofield escaped a jam to end the inning by stranding two runners on base.
The Diamond Dogs plated another run in the second inning as Zach Moore’s infield sacrifice scored Tripp Lancaster. That lengthened their lead to 3-1.
Schofield was able to get Mary Persons to go quietly in the top of the second, which was before Coody led off the top of the third with a walk.
Next, Harper reached first base safely, but then moved into scoring position as David Denton singled, which loaded the bases. With three ducks on the pond, Ethan Mizell smacked a grounder in between the Mary Persons’ shortstop and second basemen to score both Coody and Harper..
USF signee Eric Snow led things off for Mary Persons in the third with a double, later crossing the plate during the next at-bat as Mock singled to right field.
Schofield would respond strongly after giving up two straight hits and a run.
He proceeded to pick off consecutive MPHS baserunners and get Thomas Brooks to strike out looking for the final out. The Diamond Dogs held a 5-2 lead after three.
The top of the fourth faired well for Morgan County as it added three more runs to its total.
Harper hit his second two-run blast of the contest, scoring Coody. A few batters later, Lancaster drove in Talan Fuller with a sacrifice fly to centerfield.
Schofield continued to work on the mound, holding Mary Persons to zero runs over the next two innings.
The Bulldogs were able to get a run back in the sixth as Gavin Carr had a one-out single that scored Brooks. That RBI hit cut Morgan County’s lead to 8-3
Regardless, the Diamond Dogs would respond and plate two more runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Both Zach Moore and TJ Moore had consecutive RBI hits with one out, extending Morgan County’s lead by seven runs.
MPHS would score one more run as Snow hit a solo homer in the seventh inning. Schofield managed to finish out the rest of the frame unscathed, securin the 10-4 victory.
The right-hander pitched a complete game, only giving up four runs and four walks. Schofield also struck out six Bulldogs’ hitters in a 118-pitch outing.
Ainslie said that Schofield’s performance proved why he is the team’s ace o the hill.
“You get 10 more pitches during the playoffs, so he got up to that 118-119 mark, and needed every pitch he could muster to get through that one,” Ainslie said. “I was very proud of him. He executed very well and helped us tremendously.”
The seventh-year head coach added that it was all about ‘execution’ in the victory.
“The boys executed well,” Ainslie said. “We’re trying to keep the ball out of the air. Fly balls are easy outs and we are als trying to hit the ball hard somewhere, wherever it’s pitched. I thought we took advantage of those things.”
The Bulldogs of MPHS were one of th top offensive teams in Class AAA this season, but Morgan County’s pitching staff limited them to four runs through two games.
Ainslie said the Diamond Dogs played ‘sound’ defensively.
“They (Mary Persons) really put a lot of barrel on the ball and hit it hard,” he said. “I just thought we minimized our mistakes, defensively. We had a few, but when we did, Sam (Schofield) would just pick them off. I am happy about that.”
Morgan County defeated Mary Persons convincingly in game two by a score of 17-0.
Bryce Bragg took the hill for the Diamond Dogs and pitched a scoreless first inning.
The Diamond Dogs’ offense picked up right where it left off (previously in game one) by plating 14 runs through the first two innings. Coody went 3-for-4 for Morgan County in game two. Harper would also have another big performance, going 2-for-2 with another home run and a team-high five RBIs. They would also add three runs in the top of the third inning to go up 17-0.
Denton, Mizell, Lancaster, Zach Moore and Brendan Conway also had strong outings in game two of the series.
Bragg provided four scoreless innings of work, limiting the Bulldogs to zero runs and three hits. He also struck out three and walked as many in the victory.
MCHS advances to the Sweet 16 round of the GHSA state playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Diamond Dogs will be on the road at top-seed Franklin County on Wednesday.
Ainslie said he has a lot of respect for the state runner-ups from last season.
“Franklin (County) is a very good team,” he said. “They return a lot of guys from last year. They have a lot of confidence because they have a lot of experience as a playoff team. We’ve got to play well to be able to beat them.”
Morgan County will play a doubleheader against the Lions on Wednesday. The first pitch set for 5 p.m. If necessary, game three of the series will be played on Thursday.