Strong pitching lifts Tattnall Square to state title series
Cory Bartholomew and Garrett Houston kept Calvary Day from putting a bunch of runs on the scoreboard.
Tattnall Square’s big bats did the rest.
Bartholomew and Houston held Calvary Day to three runs in two games as the Trojans swept the Cavaliers 7-2 and 6-1 to advance to the GHSA Class A Private baseball championship series for the first time.
A four-run burst in the first inning gave Bartholomew some room to work with in Game 1. Bartholomew, who has signed with USC Upstate, scattered eight hits while striking out six and walking three in a complete-game effort. He also went 2-for-3 offensively in the opener, connecting on an RBI double in the first and homering to lead off the third.
Houston carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning of Game 2. He went the distance, striking out 11 in a game that remained tight into the seventh inning.
Tattnall improves to 25-7, while Calvary Day finishes 19-10.
Four who mattered
Bartholomew: The senior had only one inning in which he retired the side in order, and he finished with 143 pitches. But he allowed just one earned run, yielding a leadoff homer to Brent Sanders in the fifth.
Houston: His two-run single in the bottom of the first put Tattnall up 3-0 early in the opener. He later scored on Austin Marchman’s base hit. Houston wound up being one of four Tattnall batters to have two hits in the opener, and then his pitching effort in the second game carried the Trojans to the championship series.
Nick DiPonzio: DiPonzio’s three-run homer in the top of the seventh in the second game broke open what was a two-run game.
Tyler Aaron: Aaron’s two-out single in the fourth gave Calvary Day its first run and kept the opener from becoming a total runaway.
Observations
Big play from the nine-hole: Both Tattnall and Calvary Day got good production from the bottom of their lineups in Game 1. Tattnall’s Luke Laskey went 2-for-3 with a homer, a double and two runs scored, while Calvary Day’s Brent Sanders went 2-for-3 with a leadoff homer in the fifth and a leadoff single in the seventh.
Running wild, part one: Both teams had interesting base-running situations in Game 1. Calvary Day had clean-up batter Rudy Amaya caught up between third and home in the fourth, only to have him caught up in no-man’s land and retired when Chance Litchfield ran to third. Litchfield eventually scored, but the out cost Calvary Day a bigger inning.
Running wild, part two: Tattnall’s Nick DiPonzio found himself in no-man’s land in the bottom of the sixth of the opener when he was caught in a rundown between first and second. He was put out at first, but the rundown allowed Laskey to score from third.
They said it
Tattnall head coach Joey Hiller on the sweep: “Our two pitchers did an outstanding job; they competed for us. We swung the bats well and hit it hard. As far as getting it done on the ballfield, we did a pretty good job.”
Hiller on Houston closing things out in the seventh inning of Game 2 after allowing a run to score via a bases-loaded walk: “He saved a bit for the end. He wanted the ball for the seventh, and I said (after the walk), ‘Hey, this is it. Put another on, and I’m pulling.’ He did a good job competing.”
Calvary Day head coach Phillip Lee: “We just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it. But that’s the game of baseball. It’s very humbling.”
What’s next?
King’s Ridge Christian and Hebron Christian split their series Monday, with King’s Ridge winning the opener 8-1 and Hebron Christian taking the second game 6-5. Game 3 of that series is Tuesday. A Hebron win puts the championship series (doubleheader Saturday, if game Monday) at Tattnall, while Kings Ridge will host the title series if it wins.
This story was originally published May 9, 2016 at 10:16 PM with the headline "Strong pitching lifts Tattnall Square to state title series."