MORGAN COUNTY
The series between Morgan County and Columbus in the second round of the Class AAA state playoffs came down a game three, which is where the Blue Devils came away with a big 6-4 win.
The contest was tied at 3-3 going into the top of the seventh inning when the Bulldogs looked to ace pitcher Ty Tillery, who had previously pitched in their 4-1 victory over Columbus in game one.
After getting the first out, Blue Devil Nathan Patrick got to first base safely on a dropped strike three, but the Bulldogs’ freshman arm bounced back and got the second out before walking a hitter.
Morgan County head coach Merritt Ainslie made his way to the mound for a visit but left Tillery in.
Columbus’ Andrew Wells then made his way to the plate and swung at the first pitch. The senior took the inside pitch and drove it over the left field fence, giving the Blue Devils a 6-3 lead with two outs.
Wells’ (3-for-4, four RBIs, two runs scored) second home run came up in a clutch moment, but despite trailing by three heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, Morgan County didn’t give up.
Zach Moore went down on strikes before Talan Fuller doubled to left field, which gave the Bulldogs’ dugout some life. Tripp Lancaster then reached base on an error to put runners on the corners.
Next, senior Jack Walker slapped a hard-hit single up the middle to score Fuller and cut the deficit to 6-4. However, during the next at-bat, Morgan County’s David Denton hit into a double play.
The Bulldogs’ late-inning rally came to an end as No. 2 seed Columbus (21-14) came on top, 6-4.
Morgan County went with Davis Strickland on the mound to start game three. The freshman provided the Bulldogs with 4.2 innings of work as he gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits.
Strickland also had a team-high five strikeouts compared to only a pair of walks. He was able to keep Morgan County in the game and was able to escape from multiple jams throughout the contest.
Columbus pitcher Jack Peak went the entire game, giving up four runs with one being earned. He also struck out a game-high nine Bulldog hitters and only three walks in the Blue Devils’ big win.
Morgan County plated a run in the first as a Brendan Conway single scored Lancaster to go up 1-0. The Bulldogs’ lead didn’t last long, though, as Wells led things off with his first home run.
Strickland was pulled in the top of the fifth inning for Draco Frazzitta, who gave up a run on a passed ball, but was able to strike out Blue Devils’ senior slugger Pearson McKenzie to end the threat.
Morgan County loaded the bases in the fifth and tied the game as Harper took a free base on a walk. The Bulldogs then took a 3-2 lead as Moore, who reached on an error, scored on a passed ball.
However, Morgan County’s lead didn’t last long as Peak doubled to score Axel Serra in the next frame. The Bulldogs never got anything going in the bottom half of the sixth going into the final inning.
Morgan County finished up its season with an 18-13 record but got knocked out in the Sweet 16 for a second straight year, although the Bulldogs did go 10-1 in league play to win the Region 4-AAA title.
The series against Columbus, one of the top-ranked teams in all of Class AAA, was highly competitive.
The Bulldogs won game one by a score of 4-1 over the Blue Devils as Tillery lasted 6.1 innings on the mound. Fuller was also productive at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Columbus then came back and defeated Morgan County 4-1 in game two. Blue Devils’ pitcher Michael Nottleman went the distance and allowed one run on seven hits while striking out eight hitters.
Columbus (24-11) moves on to the Elite Eight, where it will face the Ringgold Tigers (30-6) on Saturday.