Patriots take title on the road
Southern Sports & Travel
The Madison-Ridgeland Academy
Patriots captured the Class AAA Division I Championship in dramatic fashion yesterday
evening with a 4-2 win on the road against top ranked Parklane.
Junior hurler Ryan Ward pitched
a complete game three hitter and senior Cody Walley cracked a two-out three run
homer in the top of the sixth inning to propel the Patriots to a 4-2 victory.
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| MRA's Cody Walley heads for home after 3-run homer |
With the series sweep MRA has
defeated two top ranked teams in consecutive weeks. The Patriots swept then top
ranked Jackson Prep last week and current top ranked Parklane yesterday.
“We never looked at polls,”
said MRA assistant coach Chad Lipscomb. “We felt all year that we had a team
capable of winning it all and a great pitching rotation that helped us get
rolling at the right time of the year.”
Parklane struck first in the
bottom of the second inning. Tanner Whittington cranked a lead-off double and
JM Schmidt’s sacrifice bunt advanced Whittington to third base. Ryan Ward
walked Hunter Aultman who quickly stole second on an 0-2 pitch from Ward.
Whittington would be tagged
at the plate on Justin Brent’s infield grounder but freshman Cameron Culotta’s
center field double scored Aultman and Brent to give the Pioneers a 2-0
advantage.
MRA answered in their half of
the third inning as Patrick Daniels and Bradley Peoples hit consecutive one-out
singles to set the plate for senior Blake Ainsworth who hit a 1-0 Landon Mabile
pitch into left field to score Daniels and cut the Parklane in half at 2-1.
MRA threatened to take the
lead in the top of the fourth inning as John David Bishop, Matt Porter and
Hayden Richardson produced singles to load the bases with one out but Parklane
senior Landon Mabile worked his way out of a jam with a strike out of Patrick
Daniels and forcing a ground out from Blake Ainsworth to thwart the threat.
Mabile retired seven straight
MRA batters before allowing a two-out single to Matt Porter in the top of the
sixth inning. Hayden Richardson then reached base on an infield error. That
would be it for Mabile as Parklane ace Shane McKinley took the mound in relief.
The pitching change prompted
MRA coach Chad Lipscomb to call for senior Cody Walley to pinch hit. Walley
responded with the biggest hit of his life as the senior sent an 0-1 pitch over
the left field wall to give the Patriots a deciding 4-2 lead.
“We had a sophomore who was
struggling a little and I knew Cody was a fast ball hitter and the senior came
through and did his job,” said Lipscomb.
“I was just looking for a
pitch to hit,” said Walley. “When coach called me up I was a little nervous but
I had to settle myself down. This is awesome and as a senior a great way to go
out.”
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| Euphoria breaks out as MRA celebrates |
The two run lead was all that
Ryan Ward needed as the junior retired six of the last eight Parklane batters
to secure the 4-2 win.
“Ryan really gutted it out
for us,” said Lipscomb. “I went to the mound that second time late in the game
with the intention of pulling him but he talked me into leaving him in to
finish the job.”
“This overwhelming,” said an
emotional Lipscomb. “We were without our head coach and one of our best players
but this group of kids had a never say quit mentality.”
Nine MRA players had a hit on
the night with Matt Porter the only player in the game with multiple hits.
Ryan Ward went the distance
for the Patriots striking out five while yielding two runs and just three hits.
MRA polishes off the season
with a 22-13 mark while Parklane closes at 22-10.
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| MRA - 2012 MAIS Class AAA Division I Champions |
