Veterans’ offense explodes in quarterfinal sweep of Woodward Academy

Perhaps the most challenging aspect for Veterans in its quarterfinals series with Woodward Academy was the 90-minute ride on the school bus from Kathleen.

The Warhawks had no problems putting away the War Eagles, earning a two-game sweep with a 9-0 win in Game 1 and 10-7 triumph in Game 2. As a result, Veterans moves to the semifinals of the GHSA Class AAAA baseball playoffs.

“Overall, we swung the bats very well,” Veterans head coach David Coffey said. “Andrew Ellison pitched well. Kyle (Parry) pitched well. This team can be a very dangerous team. You can have a very special team if we come together and play how we can play. (Tuesday), there were glimpse of what we can be.

“We’re one of the best four teams in the state. This is the third straight year we’ve made it to the Final Four. We’re experienced in this area, but we haven’t been able to push it beyond the Final Four. Hopefully we can use this experience and get over the hump.”

Veterans held an open clinic on the diamond, scoring via the long ball and with manufactured runs. The starting pitching was just as impressive, with both hurlers masterfully mixing it up to confuse Woodward’s batters.

Game 1 starter Andrew Ellison was in full command to open the series. The senior righty went the distance, scattering three hits to post a shutout.

“My fastball felt pretty good, and I had command of my off-speed stuff. I knew it was going to be a good day,” Ellison said. “My defense played well behind me. The guys hit really well behind me. The pitches are less taxing when you have that kind of run support.”

Parry was solid from the hill in the nightcap. He pitched five innings, allowing only two runs.

While Game 1 was a secured with relative ease, Game 2 had some wild moments. The Warhawks jumped out to a lead in the first inning courtesy of a Leyton Pinckney three-run blast.

Woodward, however, notched two in the top of the second. Veterans quickly added more runs in the next inning. The Warhawks went up 6-2 in the third inning behind an RBI single by Jacob Giles and a two-run homer off the bat of Derek Wylie.

The Warhawks continued to put a dent in the scoreboard. They led 10-2 heading to the seventh inning before Woodward made a rally. Veterans regained its composure to get the final out to clinch another berth in the Final Four.

This story was originally published May 10, 2016 at 9:54 PM with the headline "Veterans’ offense explodes in quarterfinal sweep of Woodward Academy."