Lions fall to Crusaders
Crusaders hold off Lions
Visiting FACS turns back Harding and standout pitcher Jake Criswell (right), 4-0, behind ace Bailey Wimberley.
In a matchup of two of the area’s best pitchers, Bailey Wimberley got the better of Jake Criswell — on the mound and at the plate.
Wimberley, a junior at First Assembly Christian School who has committed to the University of Memphis, held Harding to three hits in a completegame 4-0 victory Tuesday at Harding.
The loss was the third of the year for the Lions, who entered ranked third in The Commercial Appeal’s Dandy Dozen and first in the state in Division 2-A.
“My arm felt pretty good,” said Wimberley. “I just asked God before the game to help me pitch well enough to win.”
Added Crusaders coach Joe Caruso, “He’s been dominant for us all year. He kept their hitters off balance and we made some plays behind him.”
Relying heavily on a humming inside fastball, Wimberley was rarely in trouble, allowing more than one baserunner in just one inning. And he also boosted FACS’ offense.
With the Crusaders ahead 1-0 in the top of third, Wimberley blasted a two-run triple. He then accounted for FACS’ fourth run in the fifth when Harding’s right fielder misplayed his long fly, resulting in a three-base error.
After the game, Wimberley seemed more excited about the triple off Criswell than the shutout.
“I had been struggling at the plate,” he said. “And (Criswell) and I are friends. We used to play on the same team and then we played summer ball together (in 2015).”
Criswell, who already has the most victories in Harding history with 22, added another career mark by surpassing 280 innings. After eight strikeouts, he stands 26 away from that record, too.
“I asked the guys after the game what they thought the problem was and they said ‘we just didn’t hit,’” said Lions coach Al Stevens. “We’ve got a lot of respect for FACS and we know going in that we’re going to be a target for a lot of people. And he (Wimberley) is one of the best in the area.
“We’ll bounce back.”
HOUSTON STAR COMMITS TO VANDY
Paola Ellis is looking forward to being part of a new era at Vanderbilt.
The class of 2017 standout from Houston High announced Tuesday that she has verbally committed to play soccer for the Commodores. Ellis had previously committed to Ole Miss before deciding to reopen her recruiting.
She’ll join a program that was 9-8-4 last fall but appears to be making big strides under new coach Darren Ambrose.
“I was drawn to Vanderbilt because they are dedicated to both academics and athletics,” she said. “The connections I make there are going to help me after soccer. (And) they’ve brought in some new coaches and they’re bringing in some new players in the classes of 2016 and ’17.”
Ellis will be a key part of that rebuilding effort. This past fall, she scored 24 goals and added 12 assists as Houston won the AAA state title for the second time in three seasons. She scored in all three state tournament games and is a Pepsi Best of the Preps player of the year finalist for the second year in a row.
But Ellis isn’t going to put it on cruise control just because she has her college future sorted.
“I can’t relax,” she said. “Every day is a challenge; there’s always somebody working to take your place. I have to prove to people that I’m (worthy of being) a Vanderbilt commitment.”