Class AAAA Championshi p
Game 3
Marist 4, Blessed Trinity 3
The War Eagles won the deciding game that took place at State Mutual Stadium in Rome on Saturday afternoon. Blessed Trinity scored two in the top of the second inning and added a run in the third before Marist scored three in their half of the third and put across what turned out to be the winning run in the bottom of the sixth. The War Eagles have now won 13 state baseball titles, the most of any school in Georgia.
For Blessed Trinity, Cole McNamee had two RBIs and Colin Davis drove in the other run. McNamee started the game on the mound and gave up three runs while Jake Smith came on for the final 2.2 innings and allowed the winning run. The Titans finished the season 36-6.
The teams played six times this season with Blessed Trinity winning the first four games but the final two victories in the matchup for Marist gave the War Eagles the title. Marist finished 25-17.
Game 2
Marist 7, Blessed Trinity 2
In what was a tale of two games, Marist avoided the sweep in Game 2 by putting together a nearly flawless top half of the third inning on Thursday.
What started as a repeat of the Game 1 dominance, Blessed Trinity took a 2-0 lead after the first inning on a Colin Davis single to left field which brought Ryan Davis home. When Camron Lundkovsky hit a double at the next at bat and brought Davis home, it appeared the Titans had control.
However, Marist would answer. In the top of the third, Patrick Duffy got on base on a walk and then Charlie Benson knocked a single over the shortstop to put runners at first and second with no outs. Bill Rubright then singled to left and loaded the bases.
The sequence happened quickly, Jamie Taylor hit a low liner to the short, which drove in a run, but then the ball was bobbled on the grab, leading to the error and tying the game. Cassius Young then hit a single to left field which reloaded the bases, bringing Chris Cathcart to the plate. The junior hit a rope to centerfield which cleared the bases and left him at third. Will Goldberg then brought him home with a chopper to the shortstop.
Marist continued applying pressure in the top of the fifth with a Joseph Mannally RBI single to take a 7-2 lead after Connor Stephens was hit by a pitch. The War Eagles would hold on for two innings to force a championship game on Saturday.
Game 1
Blessed Trinity 11, Marist 1
Blessed Trinity took the first step towards adding another trophy to its case after run-ruling Marist in six innings. The Titans offense was overwhelming and, paired with an excellent performance by pitcher Peyton Glavine, the son of Tom Glavine, Marist had few chances.
The Titans struck first in the on a C.J. Abrams chop shot that advanced David Dunn from first to second. Ryan Davis then singled to right field, bringing Dunn home to take a 1-0 lead. Colin Davis hit a single to left which led to Ryan Davis being caught trying to take third. Jake Lundkovsky brought the runner home with a single on the next at-bat.
Senior Mitchell Weidner expanded the lead to 3-0 in the top of the second inning with a solo homerun that fought a 15-mile-per-hour headwind and skirted the left field fence, just right of the foul pole.
In the top of the fifth inning, Abrams got on base after being hit by a pitch and was able to get into scoring position by stealing second, his second stolen base of the game. Ryan Davis brought him home with a single, which left runners on second and third with no outs. Collin Davis then hit a single into right field which pushed Ryan to third. Lundkovsky then came up big with a two-RBI single, padding the lead. After singles by Cole McNamee and Jake Smith, the bases were loaded with Michael Markwordt up to bat. The senior hit a bouncer over the first baseman which drove two runs home.
The Marist defense then stepped up and got out of the jam with a strikeout of Weidner and a pickoff of Markwordt at first base but not after Dunn connected for an RBI single to left field to make the lead 11-0.
In the bottom of the fifth, Marist was able to score a run on a Cathcart groundout to Glavine, which scored Rubright from third, but it was too late.
Blessed Trinity finished with 11 runs, 13 hits and one error. Marist had one run, five hits and one error.
