GAINESVILLE — Good teams just seem to find a way, especially when not at their best.
Gainesville pitching allowed 21 hits, walked five batters, hit three more, and yet at the same time held LaGrange to just 3-for-24 and stranded 17 runners in scoring position to pull out a pair of tough victories, 6-3 and 2-1, to sweep into the Class AAAAA quarterfinals Wednesday at Ivey-Watson Field.
“We really didn’t do much of anything well tonight except keep them from scoring runs,” Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp said. “We did a good job of that but that also means we put that many guys on base to begin with. You can’t do that usually and expect to advance.”
Sam Carpenter suffered a blister-type injury during his Game 1 start but managed his way through five innings allowing nine hits and three runs to get the win. Jack Langford pitched the final two innings to get the save allowing four hits but also fanning two and got out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh.
In Game 2, Collier Scott started and went just 3 1/3 innings before giving way to Langford as well, who went the final 3 2/3 innings and stranded the winning runs at first and second to preserve the win and seal the series sweep.
“Jack was outstanding. I can’t say enough about him,” Kemp said. “Good teams find a way to win when things aren’t going their way. This is a young team as far as playoff experience for a lot of these guys and they’re still growing up some.”
Gainesville (26-4) next wiull play host to Dalton, which knocked off Evans in three games, in the quarterfinals next week. Dalton beat Evans 11-3 in their deciding Game 3 on Thursday.
Game 1: Gainesville 6, LaGrange 3
LaGrange jumped on Carpenter quickly in the first inning. A lead off single by the Grangers' Ben Anderson was erased on a fielder’s choice by Jake Howard but Carpenter gave up an RBI single to Larkin Easterwood scoring Howard with two outs for a 1-0 Grangers lead.
Gainesville answered right back with two runs in a crazy bottom of the first that saw two errors, a hit batter, and a balk.
Fedrick Cardona reached on a 1-out single and after a walk to Carpenter, Cardona scored on a wild pitch and then throwing error while courtesy-runner Dalton Kyle moved to third. Anthony Carrera was hit by a pitch and then a balk by Jake Farrar scored Kyle and moved Carrera to second with one out. But Farrar was able to get Faris Mance and A.J. Smallwood to pop up to end the inning.
In the second, Jared Smith and Banks Griffith walked and Cardona knocked in Smith with a single to right. Griffith moved to third and Carpenter walked to load the bases. Collier Scott ripped a shot off the second baseman’s glove driving in Griffith and Cardona for a 5-1 lead.
A walk to Mance knocked out Farrar with side-armer Jacob Vinson coming in in relief for the Grangers (17-13). Vinson got Smallwood to flyout to center end the inning.
Carpenter battled the rest of the way. He worked around a one-out single by Cole Freeman in the second and got out of a bases loaded jam in the third yielding just one run.
In the fourth he gave up a bunt single to David Sweat, who later scored on a RBI double by Ben Anderson to cut the Red Elephants lead to 5-3. After a walk to Howard, Carpenter induced a pair of groundouts to get out the inning allowing just the one run.
LaGrange got runners to second and third with two outs in the fifth but Carpenter got Matt Anderson to pop to Griffith at second to end the inning with the Red Elephants still leading 5-3.
Jack Langford took over for Carpenter to start the sixth. He got Ben Anderson on a grounder to first but yielded singles to Howard and Farrar and then uncorked a wild pitch to put runners at second and third with one out. But Langford struck out Easterwood and Willis Kemp to get out the jam.
Carpenter gave the Red Elephants a bigger cushion in the sixth belting a solo home run off Vinson to right for a 6-3 lead going into the seventh.
The Grangers did not go quietly in the seventh. Cole Freeman reached on an error and then Sweat reached on a high chopper over third baseman Collier Scott with one out. Matt Anderson lined out to Carrera in center for the second out. Ben Anderson singled to load the bases but Langford got Howard to pop to Scott at third to end the game.
The ability of Carpenter and Langford to get out tight spots was the key. The Grangers stranded nine runners in scoring position over the last five innings.
Vinson was tough for LaGrange yielding just two hits and no walks in 4 1/3 innings allowing just the Carpenter home run. He retired the first four batters he faced and 13 of the 16 he faced closing out the game.
Farrar last just 1 2/3 innings giving up five runs on three hits and walked six for the Grangers.
Game 2: Gainesville 2, LaGrange 1 (Gainesville wins series 2-0)
It was a pitcher’s duel in an odd sort of way as both teams had baserunners in practically every inning. However, neither team could find the big hit to open things up.
Gainesville managed some early two out magic in the first inning, however, that proved to be the difference. After LaGrange starter Ben Anderson got Griffith on a groundout and fanned Cardona to open the game, Carpenter walked then Carrera blasted a two-run home run just over the right field fence for a 2-0 lead.
Scott was able to work around a one-out single in the first and then the Red Elephants offense went back to work against Anderson. Mance singled, moved to second on a sacrifice by Smallwood, and Smith reached on an error and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. But Anderson struck out Langford and got Griffith to pop to first to end the inning.
LaGrange cut the lead to 2-1 in the bottom of the second on a RBI single from Matt Anderson. The Grangers had a chance to add on but left two runners on when Scott got Howard to ground out to end the inning.
In the top of the third Anthony Carrera reached on a two-out error but was picked off by Anderson to end the inning.
The Grangers threatened again in the third getting two runners on with just one out. But Scott got Champ Willis to ground out on a solid play by Griffith at second that saved a run but moved the runners to second and third. Freeman flied out to Carrera in center to keep it a 2-1 score.
Gainesville was poised to add on in the fourth. Mance singled with one out and then moved to third on a double by Smallwood. But Anderson struck out Jared Smith and got Langford to flyout to right to get out of the jam.
Scott ran into trouble again in the fourth allowing a leadoff single to Sweat and a walk to Ben Anderson. He was replaced by Langford, who got a groundout and a flyout to get out of the jam with no runs scoring.
Scott lasted just 3 1/3 innings allowing one run on four hits and walked four.
Gainesville again appeared ready to blow the game open loading the bases with two out on a hit batter and two walks. But Mance popped out to the catcher to end the inning with the Red Elephants clinging to a 2-1 lead.
For the fifth straight inning LaGrange got the leadoff batter on base in the sixth when Freeman doubled to left. After Jared Smith snared Sweat’s bunt attempt on a tremendous diving catch, Langford plunked Matt Anderson to put runners at first and second. But Langford again wiggled out of the jam fanning Ben Anderson and getting Howard to pop out to Smith.
In the seventh, Langford fanned Farrar but back-to-back singles by Easterwood and Kemp put runners at first and second with one out. But Willis grounded out to Carpenter at first and then Freeman lined out to Carrera in center to end the game and the series.
