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iReporter
April 18, 2018
Extra-inning loss could doom Dogs' playoff hopes
By Richard Dumas
forsyth@mymcr.net
After a heartbreaking 4-3
home loss in 11 innings to
region rival Upson-Lee on
Monday night, the Mary
Persons baseball team will
have to win its final two
regular season games as
well as get some additional
help in order to qualify for
the AAAA state playoffs for
the second straight year.
Despite battling back
from deficits twice in the
latter innings, MP was
undone by its ongoing
defensive woes, mak
ing five errors that led
to three unearned runs
in its one-run loss. MP’s
poor defense squandered
outstanding pitching out
ings by the Dogs’ top two
pitchers, starter Alex Kite
and reliever Trippe Moore,
who took the hard-luck
loss. Kite threw six innings,
yielding just six hits and
two runs, one earned while
walking two and striking
out nine. Moore then came
on in relief in a tie game
and pitched the final five
innings, giving up four hits
and two runs, both un
earned, while walking none
and striking out five.
MP was next scheduled
to play at Upson-Lee in
Game 2 of the three-game
set at 5:55 p.m. on Wednes
day. The Bulldogs will then
host the Knights in Game 3
at 5:55 p.m. on Friday night
in the Dogs’ regular season
finale. MP will honor its
seniors in a ceremony prior
to Friday’s contest. At 17-
11 overall (6-7 in Region
2-AAAA), MP currently
sits two games behind
second-place Upson-
Lee, 13-12 overall (8-5 in
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Region 2-AAAA), and one
game back of Perry and
Spalding, who are tied for
third at 7-6 in region play.
The Panthers and Jaguars
have two more head-to-
head meetings this week as
well. The Bulldogs would
control the head-to-head
tiebreaker over Spalding
as well as Upson-Lee (if
MP wins its last two) while
losing the head-to-head
breaker with Perry.
In an intense pitchers’
duel on Monday, Upson-
Lee’s Alex Blount was Kite’s
equal, hurling seven quality
innings, yielding eight hits
and three runs, all earned,
while walking three and
striking out five utiliz
ing a devastating outside
curveball against righty
hitters. Trace Park came on
in relief of Blount and was
even better, pitching the
final four innings without
giving up a hit or a run. In
fact, MP had just one bas-
erunner in the extra frames
against Park, a ninth inning
walk by Jeramiah Andrews,
while Park, who recorded
the win, struck out three
Bulldogs.
Three Bulldogs had two
hits apiece to lead the way
offensively. Leadoff man
Cam Agnew had a big
night, going 2-6 at the plate
while knocking in MP’s
first run in the bottom
of the third inning on an
infield single. Agnew also
scored the tying run in the
bottom of the seventh on
an outstanding feet-first
slide on a sac fly to right-
field off the bat of Aaron
Mock. Christian Knight
also had a 2-4 night for the
Bulldogs while Ladondre
Buckner went 2-5, includ
ing a second-inning double
off of the leftfield wall. Four
Upson-Lee batters, Chance
Gamble, Joshua Keeter,
Logan Spivey and Blount,
each had two hits to lead
the Knights.
After having three run
ners stranded in scoring
position in the first two
innings, Upson-Lee got
on the scoreboard first on
Monday with some help
from MP’s beleaguered
defense. Upson-Lee’s Park
drew a walk to start the top
of the third inning. Gamble
then reached on an error
by MP shortstop Austin
Mock, and after stealing
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Mary Persons sophomore designated hitter Jeramiah Andrews slides in safely to second during an 8-2 home loss at Perry
on Wednesday. Andrews, who moved up to third in the lineup last week, had three walks in MPs 4-3 home loss in 11 in
nings to Upson-Lee on Monday. (Photo/Kim Holderfield)
second base, the Knights
had runners on second and
third with no outs. Upson-
Lee’s Gabe Pollard then hit
a slow roller to MP third
baseman Aaron Mock, but
Mock threw wildly home
for another error, allow
ing Park to cross home
plate for the first run. The
next hitter, Keeter, then
hit a slow ground ball to
second, but Gamble slid
home headfirst underneath
the tag of MP catcher
Knight after a throw home
from second baseman J.D.
Richards. Kite then avoided
a catastrophic inning by
wriggling out of a bases-
loaded jam with no outs,
getting a pair of key strike
outs. MP answered back in
the bottom of the inning
on Agnews RBI infield hit
to pull to within 2-1, and
the game stayed that way
until the bottom of the
sixth when MP tied it up
on Richards’ two-out RBI
single to center that scored
pinch runner Donovan
Hogan.
However, Upson-Lee
would storm right back
in the top of the seventh
with a pair of singles off of
Moore by Turner Maddox
and Gamble, respectively,
with Maddox coming
around to score from sec
ond after MP centerfielder
Conner Watson mis
handled Gamble’s base hit.
With their backs against
the figurative wall, the
Bulldogs made an unlikely
rally in the bottom of the
seventh as Agnew, who had
a one-out single, eventu
ally crossed home plate on
Mock’s sacrifice fly.
In extra innings, neither
team really threatened
until the top of the 11th
when Blount, who had
a one-out single to right
that was mishandled by
righfielder Buckner, scored
what turned out to be the
winning run on a critical
error by MP second base-
man Richards. Richards
dropped the ball while try
ing to get it out of his glove
and throw to first on a
sharply hit ball by Maddox,
enabling Blount to score
from third with two outs.
MP head coach Clae
Mathis said he wasn’t
pleased with his team’s lack
of offensive production in
extra innings against Park.
Mathis said, “We
scrapped. We played well.
We did a good job of com
ing back when it mattered.
The only problem is we
went to sleep for four in
nings when all we had to
do was score one more and
the game was over. We had
some pretty bad at-bats
against that second pitcher.
I thought he was a guy
that we were going to get
on him pretty quick... It’s
disappointing. We’ve got to
win the next two. That’s the
only choice we’ve got now”
Mathis said MP’s errors
on Monday were symp
tomatic of issues the Bull
dogs have had defensively
all year, but he declined to
assign blame to any one
aspect.
He said, “Defense has
been the worst part of our
game at times, but again
there were runners on
second and third a couple
of times tonight that we
left them there too. You’ve
got to play as a team, win
and lose as a team. I’m not
going to blame the defense
for it, but it stinks because
we hit the ball better than
Upson-Lee did tonight. We
hit it better than them, and
to be honest I thought we
pitched better than them.
We just didn’t play defense
better than them.”
Three nights earlier, on
Friday, MP snapped a five-
game skid with a much-
needed 7-0 shutout win at
Perry to salvage one vic
tory in the Best-of-3 series.
Watson was the standout,
pitching a seven-inning,
complete-game gem,
yielding just seven hits and
striking out nine batters
while walking two.
Meanwhile, MP’s quiet
bats erupted for 13 hits,
including three each by
the brother duo of Austin
Mock and Aaron Mock
as well as Jeramiah An
drews, who was moved up
to third in MP’s slumping
lineup. Austin Mock had a
team-high three RBIs while
Andrews, Aaron Mock and
Knight had one RBI each.
MP led 1-0 through four
innings on Friday before
erupting for three in the
top of the fifth and three
more in the top of the sev
enth to seal the comfort
able victory.
The win came two nights
after MP was pounded
8-2 at home in Game 2
on Wednesday against the
Panthers.
Perry scored one run in
the top of the first off of MP
starter Moore before ex
ploding for five runs in the
top of the second inning.
Perry’s Andrew Newhouse
started the big inning with
an RBI single, followed by
an RBI groundout by John
Micah Law. A ground-rule
double to left-center off the
bat of Jacob Hunt plated
another run, and then two
more crossed home plate
on a two-run single to left
by Clayton Davis.
MP got one run back in
the bottom of the third
when Moore scored on an
error, but Perry extended
its lead to 8 -1 in the top of
the sixth on back-to-back
ground rule doubles by
Beau Bryant and Hunt,
respectively, followed by an
error by Agnew. MP then
got its biggest highlight
of the game in the bot
tom of the seventh when
senior Buckner cranked
his second home run of
the season on a high drive
to left-center for the 8-2
final margin. Perry’s Justin
Eckman pitched a seven
inning complete game,
giving up just four hits and
two runs, one earned, while
walking four and striking
out six.
Also, the Monroe County
Middle School baseball
team was scheduled to host
Upson-Lee Middle at 4:30
p.m. on Tuesday in the
area semifinals. If Monroe
County wins, the Bulldogs
would likely travel to Gray
Station for the area cham
pionship at 4:30 p.m. on
Thursday.
MP BOYS
Continued from Front
lined up for penalty kicks.
Spalding missed its first
shot wide right, while Alex
Rivera nailed his shot just
under the bar to give MP
an early advantage. The
Jags bounced their second
PK off the pipe leaving the
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Bulldogs with the chance
to take command. But
Dawson Daniel’s shot was
saved by the Jag keeper. So
Spalding had the chance
to tie it up on its next shot
but keeper Brock Hulsey
dove left and knocked the
ball away. Julian Rivera
slid his ensuing shot in the
left corner and MP led 2-0
with two shots left for each
team.
Spalding finally scored
on its next shot in the left
corner, but then MP’s Wil
liam Atkins had the chance
to seal it for the Bulldogs.
He rolled his shot calmly
to the left corner and MP
erupted in celebration at
10 p.m. on a Friday night.
Spalding fell to 7-7-2 over
all, 5-5 in region, as they
try to hold onto the fourth
and final playoff spot in the
region.
Coach Allen Luton said
they work on PKs a lot in
practice and it paid off.
Luton said he was pleased
overall with their play
against Spalding, noting
that the Jags are better than
their record with six one-
goal losses.
“It was a good win for
us,” said Luton.
Luton noted it shows
the strength of the region
that they’ve only lost three
games and yet are No. 3
in the region. He said he
hopes that helps in the
playoffs.
On Tuesday, April 10 the
boys struggled for a bit
against a pugnacious How
ard team that is winless in
the region before pulling
away for a 4-2 win.
Howard took a 1-0 lead
in the first half off a penalty
kick before an Alex Rivera
goal tied it at 1-1. Howard
would regain the lead 2-1
after scoring in the second
half.
Then sophomore striker
Julian Rivera, whom Luton
had moved momentarily
to defender, appeared to
have had enough. Rivera
dribbled from the back
line to the Howard keeper
box and then drilled a left
footed missile into the back
of the net to tie it at 2. At
last the Bulldogs had some
momentum against hapless
Howard.
Jacob Anthony struck
next to give MP its first
lead at 3-2, and then Wil
liam Atkins put the cherry
on top to make it 4-2.
With the chance to get a
lone region victory slipping
away, the Huskies got pret
ty chippy in the last five
minutes, drawing several
yellow cards. On one occa
sion senior Jacob Anthony
was streaking to the end
line when he was assaulted
by a Howard defender with
whom he had been jawing
most of the game. The two
players got in one another’s
faces and then the Howard
keeper got in Anthony’s
grill before the referees
pulled everyone apart and
began issuing yellow cards.
Howard fell to 4-9, 0-8 in
region.