Sports

Backs against the wall, Part I

• Tattnall Square romps Deerfield, 14-4, in five innings Friday in Game 1 of the GISA Class AAA state title series, putting the Knights one game away from seeing their dream season end.

Derek Barichello

ALBANY — The top of the fifth inning of Friday’s GISA Class AAA State Championship series seemingly lasted forever.

When it started, Deerfield-Windsor and Tattnall Square were entangled in a pitcher’s duel —Deerfield ace Justin Lott vs. Tattnall star DeAndre Smelter — as the Knights trailed by only two runs, 3-1.

But when the third out of the inning was finally recorded — approximately a half hour and exactly 11 Trojans runs later — the game completely turned into a whirlwind of emotions as a worn down Knights team walked off the field under the hot sun, needing four runs just to avoid a 10-run rule.

They didn’t, losing, 14-4, as the Trojans — the only team to beat DWS (24-2) all season — needed just five innings to dispose of the Knights in the opener.

“That long inning killed our morale,” said Lott, who took the loss on the mound. He started the fifth but was relieved as the Knights needed two more pitchers to get out of the frame.

Lott then added: “I got tired and we just lost our focus.”

The Knights rallied with three runs in the bottom of the inning but were unable to avoid the 10-run rule, meaning now the Knights must win both games of today’s doubleheader if they want to capture their first state championship since 2003 — something players say starts with letting go of an inning where seemingly everything went wrong.

“We have to completely drop it,” Knights right fielder Steven Mann said. “We need to get it out of our heads and forget about it because we were with them until the fifth and then, you know, we just have to erase that memory out of our head and come out (today) ready to play.”

In that disastrous fifth, Lott walked the first two hitters, followed by an error on a sacrifice bunt that loaded the bases, which only foreshadowed more bad events to come.

Tattnall’s next hitter Jordan Brooks doubled to left center field to clear the bases, making it 6-1, and putting an end to Lott’s day.

“It's exactly what we had in mind coming into the series,” Tattnall coach Joey Hiller said. “We were swinging the bats well. That bases loaded, bases-clearing double really got us going. We took the game from there."

Another Tattnall run and an out later, emotions started to get the best of Deerfield as reliever Evan Boyd hit three batsmen in a row, forcing both team’s coaches to come out and discuss the call with the umpires.

The inning reached its wildest point when the third hit batsmen, Justin Steele, was actually hit three times in the same plate appearance. After the first two bean balls, the home plate umpire ruled Steele stepped into the pitch intentionally but he was finally awarded first base.

“That’s just what our kids are taught,” Hiller said. “We want them to roll into the pitch if it’s coming towards them so they get hit in the backside of their body.”

After a dejected Boyd was replaced by Chris Lyle, Jake Massey initiated Lyle with a tape measure grand slam that landed well beyond the fence in left field. Before Massey rounded the bases, he flung the bat in the air and watched his blast leave the yard. Then he turned to his dugout, spread his arms open wide and gestured for his team to show him some love. The Trojans poured on three more runs before the inning came to an end.

“We said it before the game, we just can’t give up the big inning," DWS coach Rod Murray said. "And that’s exactly what happened (Friday). There have been a great many baseball teams over the years that have proven you can win games by just not giving up the big inning and playing good defense. We have to get back to that."

For the Knights, all the motivation that is needed was left on the scoreboard as fans and players left the Deerfield complex. While the field emptied, the scoreboard still showed brightly, Guests 14, Inning 7, Home 4.

“I told our guys, ‘This is a three-game series, we’re going to have to come back (today) and get after them,’” Murray said. “That last inning showed us the heart is still beating in this group."

‘COSTLY’ BALK

In the top of the fourth, the Trojans scored a run when Lott balked with the bases loaded. The balk was called because Lott stepped off the mound with the wrong foot. Lott, however, thought the batter called timeout and stepped out of the batter's box but the umpire never made the timeout official and called the balk.

"That was costly," Murray said. "We get the balk call and the next inning they score all those runs."

OFF TO A FAST START

Hiller admitted one of the keys to the game was getting a quick 1-0 lead in just three pitches. Tattnall's Randall Sheffield led off the game with a home run over the left field fence on a 1-2 count.

"I think that got us into it right away," Hiller said. "We play better ahead and that puts the pressure on those guys in a hurry."

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