Downing the Devils: Phil Campbell sweeps Fyffe to advance in playoffs
By Bart Moss / For the FCT
The Phil Campbell Bobcats used two stellar pitching performances and some timely hitting to sweep the Fyffe Red Devils Friday in the 2A baseball playoffs.
The Bobcats advance to play longtime playoff nemesis Mars Hill Friday. Phil Campbell will host Mars Hill for two games Friday beginning at 4:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. A third game will be played Saturday at 1 p.m., if necessary.
“I was really pleased with our pitching today,” said Phil Campbell coach Jonathan Raper. “We’ve got four guys I feel comfortable putting on the mound. We have pitched well this year, and I feel like if we can get two or three runs, then we have a good chance to win.”
With the Bobcats team ERA at 1.86, Raper has good reason to have confidence in his pitching staff.
The Bobcats scored their first run in the bottom of the first inning when Peyton Thomas scored on a single by Chase Hutchens.
Phil Campbell led 1-0 until Fyffe tied the game in the top of the fourth inning. Phil Campbell responded by scoring a run in the bottom half of the inning to retake the lead, 2-1. The Bobcats run came on a single by Mike Wrona scoring Joe Hardy.
Fyffe took the lead in the top of the fifth inning, scoring two runs to give the Red Devils a 3-2 advantage. Phil Campbell, however, answered the challenge again, scoring two runs in the bottom half of the inning to reclaim the lead, 4-3. The Bobcats tied the game on a single by Hardy scoring Brett Saint, then Brody Nix singled in Thomas to give the Bobcats the lead.
Phil Campbell broke the game open in the bottom of the sixth inning, scoring four runs. Austen Baker singled in Wrona to give Phil Campbell a 5-3 lead. Nate Owens singled in Daniel Smith to extend the lead to 6-3. Thomas scored on a fielder’s choice, and Owens scored on a single by Hardy, to give the Bobcats an 8-3 lead.
Raper’s son, Ridge Raper, a freshman, took the mound in game one. If there was any pressure on the young pitcher, he didn’t show it. The ninth-grader went six innings, surrendering just six hits and two earned runs to earn his first playoff win.
“I felt comfortable. I wanted the ball,” he said. “I just tried to keep the ball low and make them hit ground balls. I knew I had an outstanding defense behind me, and Austen (Baker) did a great job behind the plate.”
Owens, a junior, commanded the mound in game two and got similar results. Owens went the distance, giving up only three hits and one run and striking out eight.
“It was a tight game, but I felt really good,” said Owens. “My strategy is just to make the other team put the ball in play. I don’t look to get strikeouts. If I do, that’s fine, but I just want them to have to hit the ball and let our defense take care of the rest. We have a really solid defense.”
Fyffe grabbed an early lead in game two, scoring one run in the bottom of the first inning. Just like in game one, the Bobcats responded quickly, scoring a run in the top of the second inning. The tying run came on a sacrifice fly by Wrona scoring Hardy.
Phil Campbell broke the tie and got the win in the top of the seventh inning. Owens helped his own cause with a sacrifice fly scoring Smith. In the next at bat, Hutchens singled in Raper to give the Bobcats a 3-1 lead.
Now the Bobcats move on to play Mars Hill. The Panthers have eliminated the Bobcats three straight years, and they come into this series the No. 1-ranked team in class 2A.
Coach Raper said he feels like his team can break the cycle if they can duplicate their first-round success.
“They are a very good team with a very good tradition,” said Raper. “We will have to play mistake-free baseball; our pitching will need to be on the same level as it was today; and we have to get some timely hits again.”
