GAINESVILLE — Gainesville senior Sam Carpenter had a series against Dalton. The lefty tossed a complete game to win Game 1, rapped out six hits -- including a home run -- knocked in two runs, and scored four more to help the Red Elephants win their best-of-three Class AAAAA quarterfinals series 2-1 over the Catamounts.
But nothing may have been as important as his call of heads following Gainesville’s 12-8 win Wednesday in the deciding Game 3 at Ivey-Watson Field.
“Man, I was nervous about that,” he said. “I called heads to get to call the flip and I wasn’t sure at first what to do but then I decided to go with the double heads. It worked out.”
The winning call gave Gainesville home field on Monday against Houston County in the semifinals. It will be a rematch of the 2014 semifinals between the two teams. The Bears knocked off the Red Elephants in three games to advance to the state finals that year.
Fellow Gainesville senior Jack Langford, who earned the Game 3 win giving up four runs in five innings of relief, swarmed Carpenter along with several other Red Elephants after the coin toss.
Langford and Carpenter both were part of the Houston County series as sophomores and said they were more than excited to hear they will get a chance for some redemption.
“I can’t wait to play (Houston County) again.” Langford said. “I remember that series. We’ll be ready.”
“I’m definitely looking forward to the rematch. We feel like we should have won that one, so....” said Carpenter.
It also means that the Red Elephants (28-5) will get to play at Ivey-Watson the rest of way as long as they advance. Gainesville and Houston County are the only No. 1 seeds left in Class AAAAA and the winner of that series will play host to the state championship series.
Gainesville coach Jeremy Kemp said the coin flip could be the final stepping stone for a run at the state title.
“It’s huge,” he said. “Anytime you get to play at home it’s an advantage. Now we get to stay home the rest of the playoffs. Dalton had to drive two-plus-hours two days in a row. It makes a difference.”
But the coin flip would not have been necessary had the Red Elephants not taken care of business on Wednesday. And they wasted little time in putting pressure on the Catamounts, who were making their deepest playoff run since 1998.
Banks Griffith got things started quickly in the first for the Red Elephants ripping Brock Nelson’s second pitch into center for a single. Fedrick Cardona moved him to second on a sacrifice bunt and a Carpenter single put runners at the corners with one out. Anthony Carrera walked to load the bases.
Gainesville took the lead on a RBI groundout by Collier Scott scoring Griffith and Faris Mance pushed it to 2-0 on a RBI single to center scoring Carpenter.
Dalton did not lay down, however. Maddux Houghton lined a one-out triple off Gainesville starter A.J. Smallwood after Vinny Vega struck out and then Houghton scored on a double by Cole Shelton off the glove of Carpenter to cut the lead to 2-1. Nelson followed that with a double to left scoring Shelton to tie game at 2. Harrison Norman then laid down a perfect bunt moving Nelson to third. But Smallwood got out of the jam with a line out to center and a ground out to short to keep the game tied.
The Red Elephants offense kept up its pressure in the second. Langford reached on an error and Griffith doubled to center to put runners at second and third with one out. Cardona knocked both in on a double to center for a 4-2 Gainesville lead.
Dalton answered right back with three consecutive two-out singles, with Shelton driving in Vega to cut the lead to 4-3. But they could not get more as Smallwood got Nelson to ground out to end the inning.
The Gainesville offense went to work again in the third. Collier Scott singled to lead off then scored on a one-out single by Smallwood. Jared Smith followed with a double to the wall knocking in Smallwood for a 6-3 lead. Langford beat out an infield hit and the throw was wide to first allowing Smith to score to make it 7-3. After a Griffith fly out, Cardona singled to center and Carpenter singled to right to load the bases. But Nelson got Carrera to ground out to get out of the inning.
Singles by Norman and Tighe for Dalton to start the third knocked out Smallwood. Langford came in with no one out and got Stepp to hit into a fielder’s choice at third, Wright popped out to the catcher Smith, but a sure ground ball to end the inning turned into an error and Norman scored to cut the lead to 7-4.
Vinny Vega relieved Nelson Dalton to start the fourth. But he didn’t fare any better against the Red Elephants attack.
Mance and Smallwood coaxed consecutive one-out walks and Smith doubled to right driving in Mance. Smallwood later scored on a third strike wild pitch and Smith scored on a balk call for a 10-4 lead.
Despite their defensive troubles at times in the series, the Red Elephants flashed some leather in the bottom of the fourth. Langford snagged a high throw by Carpenter covering first but somehow caught the ball behind him and found the bag all in one motion for the second out. Then Scott snared a hot shot at third to rob Nelson of a sure double to end the first scoreless half-inning by either team in the game at that point.
Vega responded for the Catamounts recording the first scoreless inning against the Red Elephants working around a one-out walk to Carrera.
Langford and Gainesville ran into trouble in the fifth as Dalton mounted a rally. Langford plunked Norman and Tighe to lead off the inning. After a botched pickoff attempt, Langford fanned Stepp for the first out but Wright followed with an RBI infield hit to cut lead to 10-5. Cade Gabriel and Vega then followed with consecutive RBI singles to cut the lead to 10-7, still with just one out. Langford managed to keep it there getting Houghton to fly out and Shelton to ground out to end the inning.
A long delay followed when the home plate umpire took a foul ball of the mask and had to taken off the field on a stretcher. When they resumed in the top of the sixth, Smallwood was plunked by Vega on his first pitch and then scored on a double by Langford, who scored on a single by Griffith for a 12-7 Gainesville lead.
Langford kept the momentum going retiring the Catamounts in order in the bottom of the inning on five pitches. Gabriel then came on to pitch the seventh for Dalton and got the Red Elephants in order sending it to the bottom of the seventh.
The Catamounts got the lead off batter on base on the second Gainesville error of the game. After a Wright flyout, Gabriel walked bringing up the top of the Dalton order. Langford got Vega to line to Smallwood in left but Houghton kept things alive with a single to center to load the bases. Shelton walked to bring in Stepp to trim the lead to 12-8 and and bring up Nelson as the potential tying run.
However, Langford fanned Nelson on three pitches to close out the series.
“Coach (Kemp) asked me in the fifth if I had six outs left and I told him I did,” Langford said. “There was no way I was coming out unless they dragged me off. It feels great to finish it off and get us to the semifinals.”
Kemp said this group continues to bring a smile to his face.
“This is a special group and they are a lot of fun to coach,” Kemp said. “We’ll try to clean up our mistakes and get ready for the next round. It should be another great series between two good teams.”
The bottom of the Gainesville order did in the Catamounts in Game 3. Mance, Smallwood, Smith, and Langford were a combined 6-for-12 with five RBI, scored seven runs, and reached base a total of 11 times.
The bottom of the Dalton order was just 3-for-14 with two RBI and two runs scored.
