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Rainy weather over the past two days meant a rare Sunday with high school sports action, as Escambia and Northview baseball competed in regional semifinals.
Unfortunately, both team's seasons came to an end. Read below for a full recap and analysis.
No. 4 Chipley 9, No. 1 Northview 7 (Game 3, Chipley wins series 2-1)
Chiefs head coach Justin Raley told his team in their postgame prayer it just wasn't their day.
Faced with another deficit in a stretch run full of plenty where they could've folded, Northview (19-10) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
All the excitement, chatter and cheers ended on one pitch. A hard groundball up the middle that Chipley (17-11) shortstop Ty Gray fielded cleanly and tossed to second Logan O'Neill, who then fired to first baseman Caleb Culbreth for a series clinching double play.
The Tigers, after being on the ropes seconds earlier, ran to mob pitcher Blake Godwin by the mound. Northview, after dreaming of a last second rally, trotted silently out of the dugout for a postgame handshake, trying to hold back tears until the season's final huddle. The Chiefs had given themselves a chance, but just couldn't finish.
Chipley will play at Holmes County in the Rural Region 1 final on May 8-9. The Blue Devils swept Jay in the other Rural Region 1 semifinal
"We compete so hard and that's why I hate it more for them than anything," Raley said. "Because these guys deserve to keep winning and keep playing."
Raley mentioned to his team after the game how many times they didn't quit in the postseason. Northview faced early deficits against Baker and Jay in the district tournament before bringing home a district championship. Then after Chipley stomped Northview in Game 1 yesterday, the Chiefs blew a 7-0 lead in Game 2 before rallying to force Game 3.
Another rally looked right around the corner in the bottom of the seventh until it didn't. Chipley led 5-2 after three innings before Northview answered with four in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-5 lead.
The Tigers, as they did the whole weekend, had answer. Culbretch tied the game with a two-out single in the top of the sixth. Then after O'Neill walked to start the top of the seventh, Northview misplayed two bunts, with Lucas Norton sliding in headfirst at home on the second to put the Tigers back in front. RBI singles from Callen Spurlock and John Helms provided big insurance runs.
A cushion Chipley needed after Northview drew three walks to load the bases in the bottom of the inning. Dane King kept the rally going before its abrupt ending.
"In playoff games, you can't give up free passes," Raley said. "I feel like we just gave them too many opportunities to punish us. When you do that to good teams, they're going to come back and beat you."
For Raley, this year will always be special not just because of what the Chiefs accomplished. He taught the 10-man senior class at when they were at Ernest Ward Middle School, and they were willing to buy in to get the program back on track after consecutive losing seasons. This was Northview's winningest season since 2015, when the Chiefs went 19-3.
"They bought into some things we do approach wise and that's being gritty at the plate, finding a way to get hit by a pitch or walk people, finding a way to put pressure on teams," Raley said. "This group bought into that and the hard work it takes to be successful and you can tell they bought in because at one point we won 12 straight games, we won a district championship, we beat Jay 3 times. We did so many good things this year and that's just a testament to guys buying in we decided we were going to do when we got here. To have that kind of buy-in, especially as a first-year coach, is something you dream of."
No. 3 Clay 8, No. 7 Escambia 1 (Game 2, Clay wins series 2-0)
Once again, the Gators had no answer for the Blue Devils pitching. Clay senior Ethan Mathis tossed a one-hitter and struck out 13 to send clinch a regional finals berth.
The Blue Devils led 7-0 after four innings, then added a run in the top of the sixth before Clayton Sanders doubled home E Wibanks for Escambia's lone run in the bottom of the frame.
Clay will travel to No. 1 Choctawhatchee for the Region 1-4A final on May 8-9.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Northview, Escambia baseball teams' playoff runs end
Continue reading...
Unfortunately, both team's seasons came to an end. Read below for a full recap and analysis.
Rural Region 1 semifinal
No. 4 Chipley 9, No. 1 Northview 7 (Game 3, Chipley wins series 2-1)
Chiefs head coach Justin Raley told his team in their postgame prayer it just wasn't their day.
Faced with another deficit in a stretch run full of plenty where they could've folded, Northview (19-10) loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh.
All the excitement, chatter and cheers ended on one pitch. A hard groundball up the middle that Chipley (17-11) shortstop Ty Gray fielded cleanly and tossed to second Logan O'Neill, who then fired to first baseman Caleb Culbreth for a series clinching double play.
The Tigers, after being on the ropes seconds earlier, ran to mob pitcher Blake Godwin by the mound. Northview, after dreaming of a last second rally, trotted silently out of the dugout for a postgame handshake, trying to hold back tears until the season's final huddle. The Chiefs had given themselves a chance, but just couldn't finish.
Chipley will play at Holmes County in the Rural Region 1 final on May 8-9. The Blue Devils swept Jay in the other Rural Region 1 semifinal
"We compete so hard and that's why I hate it more for them than anything," Raley said. "Because these guys deserve to keep winning and keep playing."
Raley mentioned to his team after the game how many times they didn't quit in the postseason. Northview faced early deficits against Baker and Jay in the district tournament before bringing home a district championship. Then after Chipley stomped Northview in Game 1 yesterday, the Chiefs blew a 7-0 lead in Game 2 before rallying to force Game 3.
Another rally looked right around the corner in the bottom of the seventh until it didn't. Chipley led 5-2 after three innings before Northview answered with four in the bottom of the fourth to take a 6-5 lead.
The Tigers, as they did the whole weekend, had answer. Culbretch tied the game with a two-out single in the top of the sixth. Then after O'Neill walked to start the top of the seventh, Northview misplayed two bunts, with Lucas Norton sliding in headfirst at home on the second to put the Tigers back in front. RBI singles from Callen Spurlock and John Helms provided big insurance runs.
A cushion Chipley needed after Northview drew three walks to load the bases in the bottom of the inning. Dane King kept the rally going before its abrupt ending.
"In playoff games, you can't give up free passes," Raley said. "I feel like we just gave them too many opportunities to punish us. When you do that to good teams, they're going to come back and beat you."
For Raley, this year will always be special not just because of what the Chiefs accomplished. He taught the 10-man senior class at when they were at Ernest Ward Middle School, and they were willing to buy in to get the program back on track after consecutive losing seasons. This was Northview's winningest season since 2015, when the Chiefs went 19-3.
"They bought into some things we do approach wise and that's being gritty at the plate, finding a way to get hit by a pitch or walk people, finding a way to put pressure on teams," Raley said. "This group bought into that and the hard work it takes to be successful and you can tell they bought in because at one point we won 12 straight games, we won a district championship, we beat Jay 3 times. We did so many good things this year and that's just a testament to guys buying in we decided we were going to do when we got here. To have that kind of buy-in, especially as a first-year coach, is something you dream of."
Region 1-4A semifinal
No. 3 Clay 8, No. 7 Escambia 1 (Game 2, Clay wins series 2-0)
Once again, the Gators had no answer for the Blue Devils pitching. Clay senior Ethan Mathis tossed a one-hitter and struck out 13 to send clinch a regional finals berth.
The Blue Devils led 7-0 after four innings, then added a run in the top of the sixth before Clayton Sanders doubled home E Wibanks for Escambia's lone run in the bottom of the frame.
Clay will travel to No. 1 Choctawhatchee for the Region 1-4A final on May 8-9.
This article originally appeared on Pensacola News Journal: Northview, Escambia baseball teams' playoff runs end
Continue reading...
