Gordon Lee set to play for the Class A Public School state title.
Trojans advance to state finals after beating Charlton County
It’s been a long season for the Gordon Lee Trojans.
Thirty-three games. Thousands of miles on buses. Illnesses. Injuries. Highs and lows. Exciting wins and heartbreaking losses. All the while, attempting to “stay on schedule”.
The Navy-and-White had May 25 circled on their calendar before the pre-season even began and this Thursday morning, they will finally arrive at their date with destiny.
For the third time in the last five season, Gordon Lee will play for a state baseball championship, earning the berth after an emotional three-game series victory over Charlton County last week. The Indians defeated the Trojans for the Class A Public School state crown in 2013 and 2014.
“It feels amazing,” said senior pitcher Ethan Clark, who was a freshman on the 2014 state finalist squad. “I couldn’t have put it together any better. To get to play (Charlton County) at home after they beat us twice at their place (2013 and 2014) and now we get to move on to the state championship.
“Honestly, this is what we’ve been working toward since our freshman year, just getting back. I think me and all the rest of the guys are just happy and relieved to finally get here. There’s no other place I’d rather be.”
Gordon Lee 4, Charlton County 3
Game 1 began on Wednesday afternoon with the Indians taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the second without the benefit of a hit. However, the Trojans would answer with a run in the bottom of the third as Dylan Minghini roped a double before courtesy runner McCain Barbee came home on a Caleb Hopkins double.
An RBI-single by Cole Giddens got the run back for Charlton in the top of the fifth, but the Trojans would rally in the bottom of the fifth. Ethan Clark would draw a leadoff walk and Noah Peterson would single before both runners would move into scoring position on a wild pitch.
Minghini just missed a three-run homer to the deepest part of the park, but brought in Clark on the sacrifice fly. After Austin Thompson drew a walk, Hopkins delivered an RBI-double and Drew McDaniel was intentionally walked to load the bases.
Pinch hitter Chris Potter hit a hard grounder to first base for the second out, but Thompson was able to sprint home with the goahead run.
Relievers Jake Wright, Cole Tarvin and Hunter Hodson would close it out over the final two innings with Gordon Lee getting the final two outs on a 9-3 double play. Mason Pettigrew caught a liner in right field and doubled up Tyler Chesser, who had broken for second on a hit-and-run attempt with one out.
Thompson got the win on the mound for the Trojans. He worked five innings, allowing one earned run on three hits and four walks. He finished with seven
strikeouts. Hodson recorded the save.
Hopkins and Peterson each had two hits for Gordon Lee, while McDaniel added a double.
Andrew Knowles pitched six-plus innings for the Indians, allowing four earned on seven hits and six walks. He finished with five strikeouts. Chesser was the only Charlton player with multiple hits.
In Wednesday’s nightcap, the Trojans struck out 13 times against Indians’ ace Jack Gowen, seven times looking. But they also missed several golden chances to score as they left two runners on base in five different innings for a total of 10 left on base for the game. Seven of those runners were stranded in scoring position.
Charlton manufactured a run in the bottom of the first before Gordon Lee would tie it up in the top of the third on three straight two-out singles. Clark and Peterson hit soft liners to right before Minghini ripped an RBI-base knock down the line at third base.
But two singles, a double and a walk would lead to a pair of runs for Charlton in the bottom of the fifth as Chesser and Baxter came through with runscoring hits.
Gordon Lee would use a walk and a Minghini double to put the tying runs on base in the top of the seventh, but Gowen would get the final strikeout the end the game.
Clark matched Minghini with two hits in Game 2, while Hopkins doubled. Pettigrew worked into the fifth and took the loss. He allowed just two earned runs on four hits, striking out two and walking none. Wright pitched the final two innings in relief.
Knowles was 1-for-2 with a walk for Charlton and scored twice, while K.J. Williams also singled and scored. Gowen gave up seven hits and one walk in seven innings.
the inning going, while a second error allowed Peterson to score the game’s first run. Later in the inning, McDaniel rifled a two-out RBIdouble down the left field line and Justin Wooden’s RBI-single to center pushed the lead to 3-0.
The Indians (24-8) got two runs back off Clark in the home half of the inning, but the top of the fifth would really prove to be the Indians’ undoing.
Charlton committed four huge errors in the frame, allowing Gordon Lee to bring in five important runs. The Trojans had just one hit in the inning - a leadoff infield single by Pettigrew. Gordon Lee got two straight basesloaded walks from Beckham and one from Chesser. The third error of the inning came with the bases loaded and two outs as a high throw at first base allowed Hopkins and Thompson to score, making it 8-2.
The Trojans would tack on two final insurance runs in the sixth. Thompson delivered a sacrifice fly to bring in Peterson, and following another Charlton pitching change, McDaniel ripped another RBIdouble down the third base line to bring in Gordon Lee’s final run of the day.
The Indians tried to make things interesting in the bottom of the seventh as they scored four times, including a three-run homer by Andrew Knowles.
Hodson replaced Clark on the mound and got the final two outs to set off the celebration in Chickamauga.
“I knew (Game 3) was going to be a war and I told them before the game it would be a war because every game we’ve ever played against them as been a war,” Trojans’ head coach Mike Dunfee said. “I’m just super proud of the kids that they will get a chance to play for (a state title.”
Clark went 6.1 innings, allowing eight hits and finishing with six strikeouts. Pettigrew had a double, while McDaniel was the only Gordon Lee player with multiple hits.
Beckham took the loss for the Indians.
Next up for No. 2-seeded Gordon Lee (28-5) is No. 1-seeded Schley County. The Wildcats are 32-2 overall and were the Region 4 champions. They swept Telfair County, 6-2 and 18-1, in their semifinal series last Wednesday.
The series will be played at State Mutual Stadium in Rome, beginning with a doubleheader on Thursday at 11 and 2 p.m. Game 3, if needed, would be played on Saturday with a time yet to be determined.
“We’re not done yet,” Dunfee added. “We’re excited to be going (to the state finals), but the work isn’t over yet.”