BUFORD — It was everything it was expected to be between Buford and Locust Grove.
Two stingy pitching staffs against two opportunistic offenses. And, after a doubleheader to open the Class AAAA state baseball championship series at Gerald McQuaig Field Saturday, it’s also going exactly where many expected -- to a deciding Game 3.
Buford took Game 1, 3-2, behind a complete-game effort from University of Georgia-signee Justin Glover and a game-winning, bases loaded walk from Georgia Tech-signee Nick Wilhite in the bottom of the seventh inning. Locust Grove answered with a 4-2 Game 2 victory behind freshman Nolan Crisp, who held Buford to two runs in six innings.
Game 3 is set for Monday at 5:55 p.m. at Gerald McQuaig Field with the winner claiming the 2016 Class AAAA state title.
For both teams, it came down to the little things, as both coaches expected. The two teams combined for five errors and six walks in the first game, with four of the five runs unearned. Locust Grove pitcher Joah Curry walked the only two batters he faced, which allowed the Wolves to push across the game-winner to break a 2-2 tie.
The second game saw three more errors, which led to two more unearned runs for the Wildcats, who also got out of a jam in seventh with a double play.
“When you get two good teams like this mistakes always play a big part,” Buford coach Tony Wolfe said. “We were able to take advantage of some of theirs in the first game and we made some in the second game that hurt us. But that’s baseball.”
Locust Grove coach Stephen Phillips said both games could have gone either way.
“We left some guys out there in that first game and they did in the second game so things probably worked out the way they should have,” Phillips said. “If you’re a fan of baseball you probably enjoyed those. Two good teams battling hard. It was what I expected.”
Now, both coaches will turn their attention to Monday’s deciding Game 3 with hopes of bringing home a championship. Both coaches announced probable starters. The Wolves (32-4) are likely to send junior Frank Bradshaw to the hill while the Wildcats (32-5-1) are likely to go with senior Christian Young.
Neither pitcher is a stranger to the opposition. Bradshaw tossed five scoreless innings against the Wildcats in a 3-0 Buford loss during the regular season. Young pitched a scoreless stretch against the Wolves in that same game.
“Frank has been our No. 3 guy all year and he threw well against them earlier so right now we’re probably leaning that way,” Wolfe said. “We have a lot of good arms left and we have confidence in all of them.”
Both teams came in with history on their minds. Buford was looking for its first-ever back-to-back state titles in baseball after claiming the 2015 crown. The Wildcats are looking for their first-ever state title, which would be the first for the seven-year-old school in any team sport.
Game 1: Buford 3, Locust Grove 2
Glover held down a potent Wildcats lineup going the distance scattering four hits and two walks while fanning five to get the win. He allowed two runs but both were unearned.
"Justin I thought threw well. Our defense let him down some but he battled the whole way," Wolfe said.
Glover started strong for the Wolves fanning two batters and also getting a great play from rightfielder Brandon Marsh, who gunned down Colton Bailey at first on what looked like a potential hit.
Locust Grove starter Ethan Lindow was equal with Glover through six innings but left in the bottom of the seventh after hitting the 100-pitch limit. Lindow went 6 1/3 innings surrendering seven hits and walked two. He fanned five and only one of the three runs he allowed was earned as the Wildcats committed three errors.
In the second, Gavin Lee reached on an error for Locust Grove and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt. But Glover got a comebacker by Clay Shearhouse and a groundout by Nolan Crisp to leave Lee stranded at second.
The Wolves scratched first breaking through in the third. Thames Hudlow and Dillon Lancaster reached on consecutive Locust Grove errors and Marsh singled to right to load the bases with no one out. Austin Wilhite walked driving in Thames Hudlow and Nick Wilhite drove in Lancaster on a fielder’s choice for a 2-0 lead.
The Wildcats took advantage of a key Buford mistake in the fourth. Lee rapped a one-out single, Trevor Sellers reached on an error, and Crisp walked to load the bases with two outs. Will Dyar then drilled a two-run double to center scoring Lee and Sellers to tie the game at 2.
Buford had another chance to break the game open in the sixth. Griffin Jolliff reached on the third Locust Grove error to start the the inning but he was erased on a fielder’s choice by Glover. Noah Ledford doubled with one out. But courtesy runner Cole Gunter was picked off on a pitch-out on a squeeze attempt for the second out and Alexander struck out as the Wildcats got out of the jam.
The Wolves eventually won it in the seventh. Lancaster walked with one out and Marsh ripped a single to center putting runners at first and second. That knocked out Lindow, who was replaced by Curry, who walked Austin Wilhite and Nick Wilhite, which drove in Lancaster for the winning run.
Game 2: Locust Grove 4, Buford 2
Crisp looked anything but a freshman making his fourth start of the playoffs. He allowed two runs on five hits and struck out three in six-plus innings.
After Crisp set the Wolves down in order in the first, the Wildcats offense went to work against Jolliff. Curry led off with a perfect bunt single and then moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a sacrifice bunt by Bailey and scored on a Buford error for a 1-0 lead.
The Wolves tried to answer right back as Jolliff walked and Glover singled to lead off the second. But Crisp got a flyout, groundout, and struck out Hudlow to get out of jam.
The Wildcats added on in the second when Clay Shearhouse led off with a home run to right for a 2-0 lead. After a pair of strikeouts, Austin Moody singled, Curry walked, Bailey was hit by a pitch, and then a Jolliff wild pitch allowed Moody to score to push lead to 3-0.
Buford got on the board in the third when Brandon Marsh mashed a monster home run to dead center cut the lead to 3-1. He was 6-for-8 in the two games with one RBI and scored once. He also had to leave late in the second game due to cramping.
“Brandon was outstanding. He’s a special player,” Wolfe said. “We’ll get some fluids in him and he basically has 48 hours to rest so he should be fine and ready to go on Monday.”
Crisp kept the Wolves off-balance most of the game working around a Noah Ledford single in the fourth and then an error and Alexander single in the sixth.
Jolliff also settled down retiring seven straight through the fourth inning and 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. He did run into trouble in the fifth, however, when Curry singled, stole second, moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a throwing error on the play as the Wildcats pushed their to 4-1 after five.
Lancaster kept things alive for Buford coaxing a leadoff walk to start the seventh. That marked the end for Crisp. Odlanier Rodriquez took over from there in the seventh.
Marsh doubled to left despite suffering from cramps in both legs during the at-bat to put runners at second and third with no outs. Lancaster later scored on a fielder’s choice where no out was recorded on an infield hit by Austin Wilhite to make it 4-2.
But Nick Wilhite lined out to third and courtesy-runner Kent Baldy was picked off second for a double play. Jolliff flew out to left to end the game and force a Game 3 on Monday.
“Our guys just keep battling and never quit,” Phillips said. “I was proud of how they didn’t let the pressure get to them. Nolan’s maturity is beyond any freshman I’ve ever coached. He just has no nerves.”
The win for Crisp was his fourth in the 2016 playoffs.
NOTES: The loss for Buford for its first in the 2016 playoffs. It also snapped a 19-game playoff win streak going back to the 2014 playoffs. ... The Wildcats are now 4-0 in elimination games in the 2016 playoffs. ... Monday's Game 3 will be the first elimination game for the Wolves since falling to Cartersville in the 2014 semifinals.
