By Bart Moss for the FCT

There were many times during the season when the Phil Campbell baseball team faced adversity and showed a never-quit mentality. It happened again in the second round of the 2A baseball playoffs Friday at Mars Hill. The Bobcats, having lost game one and trailing the Panthers 9-2 late in game two, faced elimination from the playoffs.

Good teams never go quietly. Just like previous outings, the Bobcats began to chip away a little at a time until they found themselves in a position to win and take the series to a game three – but despite the valiant comeback, the Bobcats fell just short, losing to Mars Hill 9-8.

And just like that, the Phil Campbell team that had posted an impressive 26-10 record against some strong competition saw its season come to an end.

“Obviously, this is not the way we wanted our season to end,” said Phil Campbell coach Jonathan Raper. “We felt like we could win this series. I knew we would have to play our best because Mars Hill is always a well-coached team and play hard. We fought hard just like we have all season long. We just couldn’t make it work.”

“I am extremely proud of this team,” added Raper. “We had a lot of good senior leaders, and they have set a great example for our younger players on how to work hard, play hard and win baseball games.”

Game One: Mars Hill 4, Phil Campbell 2

Peyton Thomas and Nick Swinney combined for six of Phil Campbell’s eight hits in game one of the playoff series. It wasn’t enough, however, as the Panthers piled up ten hits to beat the Bobcats 4-2.

Two of Swinney’s three hits were doubles. Gage Roberson had three hits in the game, and Brody Nix had an RBI.

Thomas took the loss on the mound, pitching six innings and allowing ten hits and three earned runs and striking out six batters.

Game Two: Mars Hill 9, Phil Campbell 8

Phil Campbell and Mars Hill were locked in a tight game through four innings, when the Panthers appeared to put the game away with a five-run fifth inning. The always-resilient Bobcats scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, and Thomas belted a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to bring Phil Campbell almost all the way back.

Almost.

The Bobcats were not able get that last critical run to prevent the Mars Hill sweep and give Phil Campbell a chance to keep their playoff hopes alive.

Phil Campbell outhit Mars Hill 11-7 in the game but committed six critical errors to give the Panthers the upper hand in the game.

Mars Hill took a 3-2 lead in the top of the fourth inning, and it was the top of the fifth inning that proved devastating for the Bobcats. Phil Campbell committed four errors in the inning and allowed five runs to give the Panthers what seemed like an insurmountable 8-2 lead. The Panthers added another run in the top of the sixth inning to extend the lead to 9-2.

Seeing their season begin to slip away, the Bobcats mounted an impressive comeback, scoring four runs in the bottom half of the sixth inning. Phil Campbell opened the inning rocking Mars Hill pitching. Mike Wrona led off the inning with a double and advanced to third on a single by Nick Taylor. Back at the top of the lineup, Copeland scored Wrona on an RBI-single. Roberson scored Taylor on an RBI-single. Joe Hardy scored Copeland on another RBI-single, and Roberson scored on a Mars Hill error to cap off the inning for the Bobcats and cut Mars Hill’s lead to 9-6 heading into the final inning of the game.

Phil Campbell made rather quick work of the Panthers in the top of the seventh inning with the only blemish being a hit batter. With one last chance in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bobcats’ leading hitter, Thomas, came to the plate with a runner on and belted a clutch shot to deep centerfield to score two runs and cut the Panthers’ lead to 9-8. The Bobcats could get no closer, however, as they grounded out to end the game.

Hardy led the way at the plate for Phil Campbell, reaching base four times, scoring two runs and getting an RBI. Copeland went 2-for-5 with two runs and an RBI. Roberson went 3-for-5 with an RBI and scored a run.