EVANS -- Few expected a sweep. And as if on cue, Gainesville and Greenbrier split the first two games of their best-of-three Class AAAAA state championship series Monday at Greenbrier.
Gainesville, behind junior lefty and LSU-commit Jonathan Gettys, took Game 1, 6-2. Greenbrier’s Adam Sasser, a Georgia-signee, paced the Wolfpack to 7-3 victory in Game 2 to send it to a deciding Game 3.
Game 3 will be Tuesday at 5 p.m. at Greenbrier.
Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp said things went almost as expected.
“You always would rather have a sweep but we knew it would be a tough series,” Kemp said.”Two very similar teams. We got a great outing from Jonathan but we didn’t do a good job at the plate in the second game. It was reverse for them.”
Greenbrier coach Jason Osborn said he was proud of how his group responded after Game 1.
“We didn’t have an answer for their big lefty,” Osborn said. “But these guys have had fight in them all year so I knew they would find a way. It was a gutsy effort by Sasser.”
Neither coach, however, would commit to naming a Game 3 starter.
“A game-time decision,” Osborn said.
“Well, everyone that can pitch will be available but right now I don’t have any idea who is going to start. I’ll see when we get to the park,” Kemp said.
Game 1: Gainesville 6, Greenbrier 2
Gettys was dominating early striking out the first six batters he faced and retired the first eight batters overall. He allowed just one base runner -- a two out walk in the third -- through the first four innings.
The Gainesville offense was able to get runners on base against Southern Miss-signee Nick Sandlin early on. Fedrick Cardona led off the game beating out an infield hit but was stranded. Anthony Carrera and Brandon Sewell both were hit by pitches in the second. But Carrera was picked off first and Banks Griffith lined out to short to end the second.
The Red Elephants finally cashed in in the third without benefit of a hit. Cardona was hit by a pitch and stole second. After a walk to Mikey Gonzalez, the pair pulled off a double steal that resulted in a throwing error by the catcher scoring Cardona for a 1-0 lead. Gonzalez moved to third on a fly ball by Michael Curry and then he scored on a second throwing error by the catcher for a 2-0 lead.
The Red Elephants (29-7) blew the game open in the fifth when Cardona reached on a two-strike single to left and then Gonzalez and Curry both walked to load the bases with one out. After a strikeout of Caleb Whitenton, Cardona scored on when the third baseman dropped a pick off attempt. They scored two more runs when Gettys dribbled a grounder to first that Sandlin dropped allowing Gonzalez to score and then Sandlin overthrew second trying to catch Carrera off second allowing Curry to score for a 5-0 lead.
Gainesville added another run in the sixth on a RBI single by Gonzalez with the bases loaded. The Red Elephants had a chance to put the run-rule in effect with Whitenton at the plate with the bases loaded but he hit into a double play to end the inning with a 6-0 lead.
Gettys’s only trouble came in the sixth when he walked the bases loaded with one out. He walked in one run and then gave up a RBI hit to Garrett Marchman as the Wolfpack cut the lead to 6-2 but got Davis Murray to ground out to end the inning.
Gettys settled down and retired the side in order in the seventh to finish off the Wolfpack (29-4).
Gainesville managed just six hits against Sandlin, who did a good job against the meat of the Red Elephants order. Curry, Whitenton, Carrera, Gettys, and Sewell were a combined 1-for-13 and scored just one run. Cardona and Gonzalez were the catalysts reaching base seven times with three hits, scored four runs, and had one RBI.
“Me and Mikey talked before the game about getting on base,” Cardona said. “We came out ready to play.”
The Wolfpack’s big thumpers -- Ty Snipes, Adam Sasser. Sandlin, and Marchman -- went just 1-for-10 (a single) with seven strikeouts and two RBI.
Game 2: Greenbrier 7, Gainesville 3
Whitenton was sharp through the first three innings allowing just two base runners and holding the Wolfpack to 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. But he ran into trouble in the fourth.
Snipes singled to lead off and Sandlin followed with a one-out hit. Marchman knocked in Snipes and Avery Smoak added a RBI ground out for a 2-0 lead.
After a 20 minute rain delay, Gainesville brought in Harrison Styles to start the fifth. The Wolfpack touched up Styles for two runs, highlighted by an RBI triple from Snipes. Sandlin followed with a sacrfice fly scoring Snipes. In the sixth, Greenbrier pushed its lead to 5-0 on a RBI single by Jon Dennanny.
Meanwhile, Sasser had the Gainesville offense off-balance the entire game. The Red Elephants managed just two hits -- one each by Gonzalez and Gettys -- through the first five innings. The Georgia-signee fanned eight in that span.
The Red Elephants got on the board in the sixth with an RBI single by Brandon Sewell to cut the lead to 5-1. But, they left the bases loaded.
Jack Langford closed out the final 1 2/3 for Gainesville on the mound allowing two runs on two hits as the Wolfpack padded their lead with two runs after two were in the seventh.
Gainesville made it interesting in the bottom of the seventh loading the bases with no one out and the heart of the order up. However, they managed just a RBI ground out by Curry and a sacrifice fly by Whitenton. Sasser closed out his complete-game effort getting Carrera to fly out to right to end the game.
Cardona said they feel confident going into Tuesday’s one-game showdown for a state title.
“We’ve been in big games before,” Cardona said. “We played one Game 3 already so we’ll be ready.”
Kemp said they are right where they want to be.
“A month ago if you had asked us if we would take a one-game playoff for the state title we would have taken that in a heartbeat,” Kemp said. “We’re here so we’re ready for it.”
