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Baseball: Gainesville completes sweep of Loganville, as Anglin slams door

By Jeff Hart Sports Reporter
Posted 1:26AM on Tuesday 16th April 2013 ( 10 years ago )
GAINESVILLE -- With Clint Frazier, the nation's No. 1 overall high school prospect on deck and the Red Elephants clinging to a slim one-run lead in the top of the seventh, Gainesville's Hunter Anglin never flinched.

The senior right-hander dispatched Loganville's Brandon Moncrief on three pitches to end the game and give the Class AAAAA No. 1-ranked Elephants a 3-2 win and a Region 8-AAAAA series sweep over the second-ranked Red Devils Monday at Ivey-Watson Field.

"I knew he was up next but I didn't worry about him," said Anglin, who pitched the final three innings for the save, fanning six of the nine batters he faced. "I've been in big situations before and I just had confidence that I could finish it."

Anglin said he was more impressed with how the Elephants (19-2, 11-1 Region 8-AAAAA) were able to take both ends of a home-and-home series against the defending Class AAAA state champions and the nation's No. 8-ranked team in some polls. The win gives Gainesville a two-game cushion in the region standings with four games left.

"They are a great team and for us to get the sweep was a big accomplishment for us," Anglin said. "I think we're really just starting to put everything together at the same time as a team. It's fun right now."

Gainesville did it with dominating pitching and timely hitting again. Anglin and freshman southpaw starter Jonathan Gettys, who got the win, combined on a three-hitter and fanned 11 collectively. The Elephants hit three home runs in Friday's 5-3 win and all three runs Monday came on solo home runs by Michael Gettys, Caleb Whitenton, and Luke Maddox.

"It must be something in the water (about the home runs) and I'll just make sure they keep drinking it," Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp said. "Jonathan did a great job and Hunter was just electric at the end. He just shut the door. He thrives on being in the tough situations."

But its never easy in the tough 8-AAAAA. Gainesville will open a two-game series with Flowery Branch at Ivey-Watson on Wednesday. The Falcons, who have won four of their last six 8-AAAAA games, are battling for second place with Loganville and Winder-Barrow. They trail each by just one game.

"You have to be ready every night and Flowery Branch is another tough series," Kemp said. "A two game lead is not enough. I would rather have the two game lead than be tied but we just need to keep winning and things will take care of themselves."

The Gainesville offense picked up where it left off on Friday playing long-ball right out of the gate.

Michael Gettys took the third pitch from David Mayo deep over the right-center field wall to lead off the bottom of the first and Whitenton followed with a home run to left three batters later for a quick 2-0 lead.

"That really set the tone for us. Michael has been doing that all year," Kemp said.

Loganville (18-4, 9-3) would cut into the lead in the top of the second, however. Andrew Clay walked to start the inning and would later score on a two-out single by David Chabut to make it a 2-1 Gainesville lead.

The Elephants would push their lead to 3-1 in the third on Maddox's solo home run, the first of his varsity career.

The Red Devils again trimmed the lead to one in the fifth plating a run on a balk call on Anglin, who replaced Jonathan Gettys after the first two batters reached to start the inning with Frazier coming to the plate. Anglin would get Frazier to pop up to shallow center and then fanned Kyle Hall and Mayo to get out of the jam.

Anglin retired all nine batters he faced in his three innings of work with only one ball leaving the infield.

Gainesville pitching held Frazier hitless in the two games with one walk, two strikeouts, and one RBI. Chabut had two hits for the Red Devils, who have lost three straight in the region.

Whitenton would finish with two hits and Luke Moore and Brandon Sewell each had one hit for Gainesville, which pushed its win streak 10 games.
Gainesville's Luke Maddox, right, leaps to snag a pickoff attempt throw at second base, as a Loganville runner slides back safely on Monday in Gainesville. The Red Elephants went on to win 3-2. / photo: David Weikel

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