ROSWELL — Jackson County baseball coach Tommy Fountain had planned it all out.
Fountain, who had announced to the team earlier in the year that this would be his last at the helm, was looking for the storybook ending in an historic run in playoffs.
He got the historic part as the Panthers advanced to the Class AAA semifinals for the first time in program history. He didn’t get the ending, however, as they fell to defending state champion Blessed Trinity 9-1 Tuesday in Game 3 of the two teams’ semifinals series.
Fountain will step down at the end of the school year to pursue the Ministry.
“You know, if you had told me nine years ago when I took over that we’d be here today, I’d have been happy,” Fountain said. “I felt like we had a real chance to pull this off so it hurts a little to finish like this, and for the kids especially, who gave us everything they had. But we got further than we did last year and made some history. We were one win from the finals.”
Jackson County's 2-1 win in eight innings on Monday to tie the series snapped a 22-game playoff win streak by the Titans and was the first loss for Blessed Trinity to a team in Georgia since losing to St. Pius on March, 6 2015.
The Panthers (20-17-1) were poised for the upset with senior Coleman Barbee on the mound facing Peyton Glavine, the son of Atlanta Braves Hall of Famer Tom Glavine, who had started just two games all season. Barbee was superb in a Game 3 quarterfinals win over Ringgold last week and Jackson County had been a perfect 7-0 in elimination games in the 2016 playoffs.
But the Titans showed quickly why they came into the game having won 81 of their last 83 games overall. Glavine got help from his defense with two outstanding plays in the first three innings while allowing just one hit.
Meanwhile, the Blessed Trinity offense was a death by a thousand cuts scoring single runs in each of the first three innings as Barbee had trouble getting the third out giving up two, two-out hits and unleashed one wild pitch to score another run.
“I thought Barbee had good stuff but (Blessed Trinity) can really swing the bats and they just kept putting the ball in play and making something happen,” Fountain said.
Jackson County had a chance to cut into the lead in the third inning getting a pair of runners on but Chris Griggs hit into a fielder’s choice to end the inning.
The Titans used that momentum to blow the game open in the bottom of the fourth. A possible double play was booted by the Panthers and then a RBI single by David Dunn and a two-run triple by C.J. Abrams pushed it to a 6-0 lead.
After Barbee (3 2/3IP, 6H, 3BB, 3K, 6R, 4ER) was replaced by Jeremy Cook in the fourth, Blessed Trinity added three more runs in the fifth on a home run by Colin Dore and and then an errant pickoff throw by Cook with the bases loaded plated two more for a 9-0 lead.
The Panthers finally got to Glavine in the sixth when Brett Bowen walked, Griggs doubled, and Joel Ellis knocked in Bowen with a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to 9-1. But they could get no more as Tyler Sartain popped out and Andrew Miller grounded out to end the inning.
Glavine went six innings allowing just the one run and scattering three hits and walking two while striking out four to get the win.
Preston Giroux singled in the seventh off Titans’ reliever Connor Durham but Durham got Jaret Mackinnon to pop to short and Ty Smith lined out to center to end the game and the series.
“We weren’t as patient at the plate as we had been the last few weeks in the playoffs,” Fountain said. “The early runs I think kind of made the guys press a little on offense and get us out of our game plan. But, give (Blessed Trinity) credit. They made the plays and got some timely hits.”
Despite a tearful final address to the team afterwards, Fountain said he expects the Panthers to back again next year.
“Three of our top four pitchers return and we have a lot of young talent coming up. The program will be in good shape and in good hands next year,” he said.
