Baseball: Olson's bomb, Kelly's pitching clinch split for Trojans; Game 3 up next

BLACKSHEAR -- Adam Kelly had pitched just one inning in four games. Griffin Olson had exactly zero home runs in 2013.

The duo could not have picked a better time to buck those trends.

Kelly turned in a dominant five-inning relief performance, and Olson smacked a walk-off homer to help North Hall baseball to a 5-4 comeback defeat of Pierce County in Game 2 of the two teams' Class AAA quarterfinal series on Tuesday in Blackshear.

The win evened the series at a game apiece -- Pierce County won Game 1, 3-2 -- and ensured a deciding Game 3 at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday in Blackshear.

Thanks to Kelly and Olson, the Trojans will enter the showdown with momentum firmly on their side.

"It's going to be strong for us," said Kelly, who stepped onto the mound in Game 2 staring at a 4-1 deficit and shut down the Bears the rest of the way, allowing just one hit while striking out 10 batters to help North Hall fight its way back into contention. "Everything's pointing in the right direction for us right now."

The Trojans certainly ended Tuesday on a high, as Olson drilled a two-run shot over the left centerfield fence, plating Zach Mize to complete an impressive fightback after a gut-wrenching loss in Game 1 -- the Bears managed their own walk-off hit in the opener, as North Hall lost a 2-0 lead to fall behind in the series.

"We played well enough to win Game 1, but we made some critical mistakes that hurt us," Olson said. "We overcame that adversity in Game 2."

Olson played a big role in the fightback, going 3-for-4 in the second contest, and coach Trent Mongero said it was anything but a shock to see the senior crush just his third-ever high school homer.

"I just had a calm about me that we were going to win the game in the seventh," Mongero said. "We had five seniors in a row coming up in the line-up there, and these guys have proven resilient. Griffin's our No. 3 hitter for a reason. He doesn't hit a lot of home runs, but he has that ability."

North Hall will also return one of its key weapons for Wednesday's rematch, as shortstop and leadoff hitter Andrew Smith returns to the line-up after serving a suspension following last week's combative second round defeat of Franklin County.

"The whole team told Andrew not to worry about it and that he'd be back in uniform again this season," Mongero said. "It will be nice to be playing with a full deck (Wednesday)."

Colton Duttweiler will get the start for North Hall in the series-decider.

GAME 1: Pierce County 3, North Hall 2

The Trojans jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third but watched the Bears chip their way into the contest with solitary runs in the fifth and sixth before scoring the game-winner in the bottom of the seventh.

Pierce County's Stetson Smith plated the clinching run with a line-drive to centerfield, taking advantage of a shallow North Hall infield after the Bears put two runners on with no outs. The hit broke up a tense showdown between two strong starting pitchers, as North Hall managed just two hits against Cole Dowling, while Pierce County put up seven hits against Preston Graham -- and none before the fourth inning.

Both pitchers went the distance, with Graham striking out six and walking four. Dowling, meanwhile, fanned seven Trojans and walked three.

North Hall grabbed the early momentum, as McCoy Savage ripped a double in the third inning that scored Stephen Murray. Savage eventually came home on a sacrifice fly RBI from Mize. Yet only three more Trojans reached base against Dowling, who struck out five over the final four frames.

Pierce County began to find its feet at the plate in the fourth, notching its first two hits of the game, but the Bears had to wait until the fifth inning to get their first run -- Dowling driving in Logan Paul. Pierce then knotted the score in the sixth on a solo home run to left centerfield from Zack Goble. Smith then completed the comeback, driving in Rod Kennedy.

Dowling finished 2-for-2 with an RBI, while Smith was 2-for-4.


GAME 2: North Hall 5, Pierce County 4

The Bears sprinted to a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Kyler Allen's single that leapt just over Olson's glove behind second base and plated Vince Elliott and Dowling.

North Hall responded with an RBI single from Duttweiler, scoring Mize, but Pierce County fired right back in the top of the second. Duttweiler was called for two balks -- the second plating Kennedy -- before an error from the Trojans allowed Paul to score from second base for a 4-1 advantage.

Needing a spark, North Hall turned to Kelly on the mound in the third. The senior responded, stoning Pierce County's run production with a scoreless frame, which allowed the Trojans to chip away at the Bears' advantage. Kelly helped his own cause, driving a sac fly to right field that scored Zach Mize for a 4-2 scoreline.

"Adam was lights out," said Mongero of his No. 3 starter, who -- due to North Hall sweeping the first two rounds of the playoffs -- had barely tested his arm in the postseason. "We knew he was capable of that. And we were put in that situation because of that balk situation, and we thought maybe he could hold runners on a little better."

Savage kept the Trojans moving in the fourth, plating Micah Strickland with an RBI to pull within 4-3. Yet Pierce County's Stetson Smith looked set to ride out the charge from North Hall, holding the Trojans scoreless with just one hit over the next two frames.

The bottom of the seventh started with Davis Lairsey's impressive diving catch in right field and gave North Hall just two outs to extend its season. But Mize reached on an error and set the stage for Olson's heroics.

"I was just trying to drive the ball into the gap and bring Zach home," Olson said.

Mize finished the game 2-for-3 with three runs scored, as North Hall managed seven hits against Smith.

"Our gameplan was to chip away," Mongero said. "We thought we'd get to them. These guys are just competitors to the end, and I'm so glad we have a chance to go to Game 3 and try and extend the season even further."

http://accesswdun.com/article/2013/5/261499