GAINESVILLE -- Two games wasn’t enough to decide the Class AAAAA best-of-three quarterfinals series between Gainesville and South Effingham Tuesday at Ivey Watson Field.
The Red Elephants, behind a three-hit, 13-strikeout masterpiece from Jonathan Gettys, took Game 1, 5-2. The Mustangs, behind a three-hitter from senior Carlton Redding, answered with a 10-3 victory in Game 2 to force a deciding Game 3.
First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. Wednesday at Ivey-Watson. South Effingham won the coin toss on will be the home team. (NOTE: Also playing on Wednesday will be Rabun County, which also split its Class AA series with Lovett. Meanwhile, Buford and Jefferson booked spots in the semifinals with Tuesday sweeps, while North Hall and Jackson County suffered quarterfinal sweeps. See below for a full schedule and results.)
The winner will play the winner of the Jones County-East Paulding series winner beginning Monday in the semifinals.
Both coaches said Wednesday will be no time to leave anything in the dugouts.
“It will be all-hands-on-deck,” South Effingham coach Ron Womack said. “You have to do whatever you can to win one game. But we’ve been here before so I think our guys understand what needs to be done.”
The Mustangs (23-9) have spent the entire post-season on the road and are 5-2 away from suburban Savannah.
“There’s been no real secret to our success other than just trying to play hard and play good baseball,” said Womack, who did not name a Game 3 starter after Game 2. “We’ll see where we are at game time.”
Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp said he will rely on his seniors, who have been in this position before over the years.
“Our seniors have played a lot of baseball and a lot of playoff games. They understand what’s at stake,” said Kemp, who announced senior Harrison Styles will get the start in Game 3.
“He’s pitched well for us and it’s spot. We feel confident with him out there,” Kemp said.
It will be the first Game 3 of the 2015 post-season for the Red Elephants (25-6) while South Effingham beat Alexander 5-2 in Game 3 in the second round last week.
Game 1: Gainesville 5, South Effingham 2
Gettys, who went the distance and allowed just one earned run, outdueled the Mustangs’ Garrett Hodges, who went six innings giving up eight hits and five runs.
Gettys struggled at the start walking a pair of batters in the first. But he also got out of his own mess striking both Corey Horne and Garrett Hodges to get of the inning.
In the bottom of the first, Fedrick Cardona reached on an infield hit of the pitcher and moved to second on a sacrifice by Mikey Gonzalez. Michael Curry singled to put runners at the corners and Caleb Whitenton walked to load the bases for Anthony Carrera. Carrerra drove in Cardona with a long sacrifice fly to center but the Red Elephants could get no as Hodges got Brandon Sewell to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the inning with the bases loaded.
Gettys had another rough start to the second with a walk to Davis Hare and then a bad-hop single past Whitenton to put runners at first and third with no outs. K.C. Brown hit into a 6-4-3 double play but Hare scored on the play to tie it at 1-1.
The Red Elephants right back in the bottom of the inning. Banks Griffith doubled to right and then came in to score on a throwing error on the play for a 2-1 lead. Drew Wright followed beating out an infield hit and went to third on a hit to left by Gonzalez. Wright scored on a sacrifice fly by Curry and Gonzalez scored on a long double to center by Whitenton for a 4-1 lead.
Gettys settled down from there. Going back to the second inning double play, the junior lefty retired 10 in a row into the fifth inning, including his first 1-2-3 frame in the third. He struck out the side in the fourth and two more to open the fifth for six straight strikeouts. His streak was broken up by a two-out single by Caleb Gonsalves. He fanned Austin Thompson to end the fifth for his 10th strikeout.
Gainesville added on in the bottom of the fourth when Curry belted a long solo home run to left over the scoreboard for a 5-1 lead.
South Effingham closed the gap to 5-2 in the sixth taking advantage of two Gainesville errors, with Hodges driving in Tyler Pullum, who singled and went to third on an errant rundown throw two pitches earlier.
Gettys got the Mustangs in order in the seventh, ending the game with a strikeout of Gonsalves.
Game 2: S. Effingham 10, Gainesville 3
The Mustangs’ Redding got the Red Elephants in order in the top of the first and their offense went to work against Gainesville starter Caleb Whitenton in the bottom of the inning. Pullum drew a one-out walk and then scored from first on a scorched double to center Dalton Griffin for a quick 1-0 lead. Hare followed with a RBI single to right for a 2-0 lead but Whitenton was able to strike out the side to keep the damage to a minimum.
It stayed that way until the fourth when the Red Elephants pulled within 2-1 on a RBI sacrifice fly by Whitenton.
The Mustangs blew the game open in the bottom of the fifth knocking Whitenton out of the game. They did not treat Gainesville relievers Mikey Gonzalez or Jack Langford any better.
South Effingham scored five runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth, highlighted and capped by a two-run home run from Turner Davis.
The Game 2 loss for Gainesville ended a five-game playoff win streak and a 10-game winning streak overall.
Curry belted his second home run of the series in the top of the sixth to briefly pull Gainesville within 7-3 but Davis and the Mustangs put it out reach in the bottom of the inning.
“I’m seeing the ball real well but all that is in the past right now. The only thing that matters is winning (Wednesday),” Curry said. “We need to be ready to play and we have to want it if we want to move on.”
Kemp said pitching, as always, will be the key on Wednesday.
“Jonathan shut them down in Game 1 and (Redding) shut us down in Game 2,” he said. “You have throw strikes and not make mistakes. Whoever does that the best will probably win.”
STATE BASEBALL QUARTERFINALS:
Class AAAAA
Gainesville 1, South Effingham 1
Game 1: Gainesville 5, South Effingham 2
Game 2: South Effingham 10, Gainesville 3
Game 3: 4 p.m. Tuesday at Ivey-Watson Field
Class AAAA
Buford 2, Locust Grove 0
Game 1: Buford 10, Locust Grove 0
Game 2: Buford 8, Locust Grove 5
Whitewater 2, North Hall 0
Game 1: Whitewater 8, North Hall 2
Game 2: Whitewater 10, North Hall 1
Class AAA
Jefferson 2, Callaway 0
Game 1: Jefferson 5, Callaway 3
Game 2: Jefferson 3, Callaway 0
Westminster 2, Jackson County 0
Game 1: Westminster 2, Jackson County 0
Game 2: Westminster 11, Jackson County 0
Class AA
Rabun County 1, Lovett 1
Game 1: Lovett 6, Rabun County 1
Game 2: Rabun County 2, Lovett 1
STATE BASEBALL SEMIFINALS:
(As of Tuesday)
Class AAAA
Buford vs. Wayne County/Cartersville
Class AAA
Jefferson at Westminster
