CLEVELAND — White County’s pitching was an example of extremes in its second round playoff doubleheader Wednesday against Allatoona, but it was enough to extend the season for the Warriors (24-5) for at least another day.
Already trailing one game in the best-of-three series, Warriors senior Luke Crumley stepped to the mound and delivered what his coach John Brown said was the best in the University of Georgia-bound senior’s high school career. Crumley recorded 10 strikeouts and allowed only four hits in a 6-1 nightcap win against the Buccaneers in Cleveland.
“Boy, he came through for us tonight,” Brown said. “He was throwing strikes all night, and it helped that they (Allatoona) was being aggressive swinging.”
“I knew I needed to step up tonight,” Crumley said. “We didn’t play well in the first game, and as a pitcher you want to be in that spot.”
The win was a must after Allatoona (26-5) got to White County senior David Sosebee, also a Georgia signee, in the first game for three runs in the fourth inning. He also allowed six walks over four innings in an 8-1 loss to start the day.
With the first day split, the two schools will play the deciding Game 3 at 5:30 p.m. today in Cleveland. Allatoona coach Keith Hansen said junior Lucas Brown (15-1 in his career) will be his starter. Brown was not ready to name a starter for White County at the end of the doubleheader.
“It’s tough to win on any other team’s home field, so to get a split against two Division-I pitchers is good,” Hansen said.
In Game 2, Crumley pitched around some trying situations. In the second inning, Allatoona put runners on second and third with a Nick Hall single, but Crumley recorded the final two outs of the inning with strikeouts.
Then in the fifth inning, a leadoff single by A.J. Hart followed by a Warriors’ infield error yielded the Bucs only run of the game.
White County gave Crumley all the run support he needed in the third inning with four runs on only two hits. Montana Saine reached on a lead-off double and scored on an RBI single from senior first baseman Adam Hooper.
Sosebee, Kyle Mills and Bo Medlock all reached base for the Warriors in the inning when they were hit by a pitch. Brett Westmoreland walked for White County to score the courtesy runner, and then Dylan Lee drew a walk to score Mills.
White County’s Brandon McConnell scored in the fifth inning on a throw to second that sailed into the outfield, and Hayden Cummins added an RBI single in the sixth inning.
“Getting those four runs in the third inning was huge,” Crumley said. “It let me just relax and focus on throwing strikes.”
ALLATOONA 8, WHITE COUNTY 1: Buccaneers junior Clate Schmidt was dominating in the series opener. Schmidt, a junior already committed to Clemson University, racked up 11 strikeouts and didn’t allow a walk. After allowing White County’s first two hitters to reach base in the first inning, he set down the next 10 batters in order.
“He throws a fastball, curveball and cutter, and when his off-speed pitch is working like today, he’s pretty hard to hit,” Hansen said.
Schmidt also hit well for the Buccaneers in Game 1. He homered in the sixth, and doubled with two strikes and scored on a throwing error in the fourth inning.
Allatoona got the scoring started in the second with a double to center field by Jack Morris that scored Marlon Melendez from second base.
After a leadoff single from Bryce Richey in the fourth, the Buccaneers went on to score three runs in the inning. Adding to Sosebee’s troubles on the mound for White County was an inability to get hitters out with two strikes in the count, which is usually one of his strong suits.
With Richey on base, Morris was hit by a pitch with two strikes and set the stage for Schmidt’s two-strike double. This marked Sosebee’s only loss of the season.
Despite his troubles on the mound, Sosebee accounted for the Warriors’ only run with a solo home run in the sixth inning. White County stranded a pair of runners on base three separate times.