2010 GSC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT REVIEW
Day One Review
After a two-day delay and a site location change, the first pitch was finally thrown at the 2010 Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Baseball Championship Tournament.
Due to severe flooding in Millington, Tenn., the eight-team event was moved to Ferriss Field on the campus of Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. and is scheduled to run until Friday.
Mitch Handley (6-4) scattered 10 hits in his first complete game performance of the season, as No. 3 East seed North Alabama rapped out 10 hits of its own en route to an 8-3 upset of No 2 West seed Arkansas Tech. Down 1-0 after three innings, UNA scored five runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take control of the game and followed with three more runs in the final three frames. UNA center fielder Chase Porch went 2-for-5 with two RBI and one homerun, while catcher Kevin Williams also posted a 2-for-5 effort. The Lions recorded their first GSC Tournament victory since 2006 behind its second win in three matchups versus ATU this season.
No. 1 East seed West Florida dodged the upset bug in the second game of the day, coming from behind to collect an 8-7 triumph over No. 4 West seed Henderson State. HSU led 4-1 after the first two innings, only to see UWF take control with seven unanswered runs. The Argonauts entered the bottom of the sixth inning tied at 4-4, thanks to a dazzling diving stop by shortstop Brandon Brewer in the top of the frame. West Florida’s offense took advantage of the Morgan Keegan Play of the Game, stringing together three runs on three straight hits led by designated hitter Zach Taylor’s two-run single up the middle. UWF plated what proved to be the game-winning score on first baseman Zach Cates RBI single as HSU hit for three runs in the ninth before the Argonauts put the game on ice. UWF starter Daniel Vargas-Vila earned his eighth victory of the season, going 6.0 innings with nine strikeouts. The Argonauts notched a win in the tournament’s first day for the fourth time in five years.
No. 1 West seed Southern Arkansas showed why it is the top team in the South Region, easing past No. 4 East seed Alabama-Huntsville in a seven-inning, 13-2 win. The defending GSC Champions did not wait long to light up the scoreboard, plating three runs in the bottom of the first inning and adding five more runs in the fifth. UAH denied the shutout a run in the top of the fourth, only to see the Muleriders respond with five runs in the next three frames. Southern Arkansas right fielder Patrick Johnson led the way offensively, going 2-for-4 with one homerun and four RBI, while shortstop Andrew Whittington added a 3-for-4, three-RBI effort. SAU starter Hayden Simpson was dominant on the mound, scattering seven hits and fanning a 13 batters. The victory upped the Muleriders’ GSC Tournament winning streak to six.
A packed house was on hand to watch No. 2 East seed Valdosta State come from behind to defeat No. 3 West seed Delta State, 5-4. VSU took a 2-0 lead in the fifth inning, but DSU grabbed a 3-2 edge in the top of the seventh led by second baseman Chase Blanchard’s two-out, two-run double. The Statesmen posted an insurance run in the top of the ninth, but the Blazers silenced the Delta State faithful with three runs in the bottom of the frame. Jake Summers doubled-in the first run on an RBI double, while pinch runner Tyler Wooten tied the score on a wild pitch. VSU shortstop Jon Koenigsfeld put the game away, driving home the winning run with a single up the middle. Summers was 3-for-5 with one double and one RBI, while Koenigsfeld finished 2-for-4.
Day Two Review
It was a long day of second round action in the 2010 Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Baseball Championship Tournament.
The top seeds’ suffered defeat Tuesday as Southern Arkansas and West Florida enter the third day of action one loss away from elimination. Meanwhile, Alabama-Huntsville ousted host Delta State in the highest scoring tournament contest since 2000 and Arkansas Tech collected its first tournament victory since 2001.
Arkansas Tech third baseman Nick Makris never got to bat after he was injured in the top of the first inning of the Wonder Boys’ opening round loss to North Alabama; But the All-GSC West performer came back with a vengeance in his team’s elimination game matchup with West No. 4 seed Henderson State. He doubled, tripled, drove in three runs and stole two bases as No. 2 West seed ATU eliminated the Reddies with a 12-5 victory. Caleb Powers (7-2) went 6 2/3 on the mound for Tech, allowing four earned runs and striking out two. Addison Rayford finished the game to pick up his fourth save. Matt Johnson was also strong as the plate, going 4-for-6 with a RBI, four runs scored and two stolen bases. Chase Cleveland (4-3) was saddled with the loss for HSU. ATU took control of the contest early, taking a 6-0 lead after 3 ½ innings. In the fourth, Makris drove in two runs with a double, then, scored on a straight steal of home. HSU would get close in the bottom of the sixth when it plated three runs to bring its deficit to 8-5. But the Wonder Boys put the finishing touches on the contest with a big ninth. Back-to-back runs scoring hits by Johnson and Markis gave ATU a 12-5 advantage. Reddies outfielder Charlie Hillman, who had not hit a home run all season entering the tournament, hit his second ninth-inning blast in as many days. Robert Gilbert added a RBI double to close out the scoring.
After scoring seven runs in the first inning and holding a 12-3 advantage after three, No. 4 East seed Alabama-Huntsville looked to be on cruise control against No. 3 West seed Delta State. But after the Statesmen scored 13 unanswered runs to take the lead, UAH needed some late-game hitting to secure a 20-18 victory and eliminate DSU in a game that took just over four hours to complete. Eleven different players between both teams had at least two RBI with DSU’s Josh Gordon and Matt Discon, as well as UAH’s Ryan McCrory and Bradley Ray, all driving in three runs. Chargers designated hitter Josh Bolan hit a two-run homer in the second inning, Discon added a two-run shot in the fourth and McCrory hit a prodigious two-run blast in the third that cleared the scoreboard in right center field. It was McCrory’s RBI single in the seventh that gave UAH the lead for good in the seventh inning. Dan Lazzaroni (3-0) pitched the final 4 2/3 innings for the Chargers to pick up the win while Toby Easterly (1-4) took the loss for the Statesmen.
No. 3 East seed North Alabama pulled off its second upset of the tournament by throttling No. 1 East seed West Florida 12-6. The see-saw battle in the early innings saw both teams put crooked numbers up on the board. But a three-run fifth inning gave the Lions the lead for good at 7-5. The Argonauts cut the lead to a single run in the top of the sixth, but Jacob Lamar’s solo homer put the UNA advantage back at two runs. Kevin Williams (5-of-6, two RBI, stolen base) and Dewayne Gunn each had run scoring hits and scored on wild pitches as part of a four-run seventh inning that put the game out of reach. Trey Mitchell (5-5) gave up six runs and 11 hits in seven innings but earned the victory of North Alabama. UWF pitcher Jason Postill (5-6) did not make it out of the fifth, allowing six runs on 10 hits, while first baseman Zach Cates went 4-for-5 at the plate in a losing effort.
No. 2 East seed Valdosta State capped the night well into the morning hours, halting No. 1 West seed Southern Arkansas’ six-game GSC Tournament winning streak, 8-4. SAU grabbed its lone lead of the game in the bottom of the first inning, grabbing a 1-0 edge before VSU took over from there via seven unanswered runs. The Blazers blew the game open in the fourth frame, plating four runs. Left fielder Antonio Clark went 2-for-6 at the plate with three RBI, while center fielder Ryan Danbury went 2-for-4 with two more RBI. Ross Gusky (8-3) collected the win on the mound, fanning seven in 5.0 innings.
Day Three Review
Home plate received a workout in Day Three of the 2010 Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Baseball Championship Tournament as all six teams combined for 57 runs in three games.
The Tournament field was cut to four squads as Valdosta State, North Alabama, Southern Arkansas and West Florida advanced to Thursday’s action at Ferriss Field on the campus of Delta State University.
No. 1 East seed West Florida rebounded from a one of its worst pitching performances of the season, advancing with an 8-3 win over Alabama-Huntsville (27-18) and ending the No. 4 East seed Chargers’ season. The Argonauts (36-17) broke a two-all tie with runs in each inning from the fifth through the eighth. Brandon Brewer and Dustin Lawley each had two hits and two runs scored for the Argos in support of starter Kevin Johnson (8-3), who allowed 12 hits but earned the complete-game victory. UAH trailed 1-0 going into the third inning but took its only lead when Bradley Ray cranked a two-out, two-run homer to put the Chargers on top. But Lawley’s RBI double in the fifth gave UWF the lead for good and a three-run seventh – highlighted by Zack Cates’ two-run triple – put the game out of reach. UAH first baseman Ryan McCrory had three hits and Ray knocked in all three runs for the Chargers. Ryan Griffin (2-4) took the loss, allowing six earned runs in 6 1/3 innings.
No. 1 West seed Southern Arkansas (41-7) had less than 12 hours between the end of its loss to Valdosta State and the first pitch of its elimination game between No. 2 West seed Arkansas Tech. The Muleriders’ bats were fully awake against the Wonder Boys (35-19), putting up multiple runs in each of the first five innings en route to a 23-4, run-rule victory. It marks the second time in three games this tournament that SAU has defeated a team with the 10-run rule. Each starter scored at least two runs for SAU, which was paced by Cannon Lester (3-for-4, 2B, HR, 4 RBI) and Patrick Johnson (4-for-5, 3 2B, HR, 7 RBI). Gavan McCauley had three hits and four RBI, Jake Astor knocked in three and Brandon Choate hit a homer for the Muleriders, who got a complete game from Dan Bream (9-2). Madison Beard had three hits, including a home run, and drove in three for the Wonder Boys.
No. 2 East seed Valdosta State survived as the lone undefeated team, plating 17 runs in the first three innings on its way to an 18-1 run-rule triumph over No. 3 East seed North Alabama. VSU plated five runs in the first frame and posted a double-digit lead with six more in the second. Second baseman Chris Jones led the way in the nine hole of the lineup, going 4-for-4 with seven RBI and a three-run homer. First baseman Jake Summers also got into the act with a 3-for-3 effort along with six RBI. Starting pitcher Tyler Wooten upped his record to 4-0, allowing four hits and fanning five in 5.2 innings of work.
Day Four Review
The fourth day of the 2010 Morgan Keegan Gulf South Conference Baseball Tournament ensured a rematch of last year’s event for the Championship game at Ferriss Field.
Defending Champion Southern Arkansas staved off elimination and Valdosta State sent a division rival home Thursday as the two squads set up a rematch of the 2009 GSC Championship Game, only this time the roles are reversed. Instead of the Blazers having to win a pair of games Friday, the Muleriders will have to accomplish the task if they want to defend their crown.
No. 1 West seed Southern Arkansas kept its hopes alive of defending the league title, cruising past No. 3 East seed North Alabama, 12-2. The Lions drew first blood with one run in the bottom of the fourth inning, but SAU did not wait long to respond, plating three runs in the top of the fifth. SAU’s offense did not stop, scoring nine runs in the final three frames highlighted by a six-run ninth. SAU first baseman Logan Williams led the way, going 2-for-5 with four RBI, while second baseman Nick Paschal followed with a pair of hits and drove in three runs. Cole Lohden went the distance on the mound for the Muleriders, earning his fifth win of the season behind a career-best 13 strikeouts.
No. 2 East seed Valdosta State remained unbeaten in the final contest Thursday, topping No. 1 East seed West Florida, 8-4. The Blazers plated a pair of runs in the second, third and fifth innings, leading 6-0 before the Argos scored its first in the bottom of the sixth. However, VSU answered with two more runs in the top of the seventh. UWF cut the lead in half with three runs in the bottom of the frame, but were unable to cross the plate again. Second baseman Chris Jones remained hot at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a home run. Junior Chris Wrobel earned his first win of the season, scattering seven hits in six and a third innings of work.
Southern Arkansas and Valdosta State clash for the second time in this year’s Tournament after the Blazers defeated the Muleriders in the second day of action. SAU seeks its third GSC Championship in five years while VSU is in search of its third crown in school history.
Day Five Review
A windy day led to a record 51 runs in two games on Championship Day of the 2010 Morgan Keegan GSC Baseball Tournament Friday at Ferriss Field.
East No. 2 Seed Valdosta State entered the final day needing just one win against West Division Champions Southern Arkansas to take home its first Tournament title since 2002. After dropping the first game 19-2, the Blazers (42-15) rebounded and claimed their third GSC Championship with a 20-10 win in the final game.
VSU was led by designated hitter Clayton Cain who switched to first base for the final contest and ended up with five hits in six at-bats including three doubles, two home runs, and eight RBI. His grand slam in the top of the eight ended a monster game at the dish as he plated his fifth run of the game. The Muleriders (43-8) were fueled by the Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Patrick Johnson and his five home runs on the day. Johnson knocked three out of the park in the first tilt before capping of the title game with two more round trippers.
VSU triple-crown threat Brandon Decker snapped a 49 at-bat streak without a home run with a solo shot in the opener and a three-run bomb in the finale.
2010 All-Tournament Team
RF, Patrick Johnson – Southern Arkansas (MOP)
1B, Jake Summers – Valdosta State
1B/DH, Clayton Cain – Valdosta State
2B, Chris Jones – Valdosta State
3B, Austin Smith – Valdosta State
1B, Logan Williams – Southern Arkansas
3B, Cannon Lester – Southern Arkansas
DH, Jake Astor – Southern Arkansas
SP, Cole Lohden – Southern Arkansas
SP, Hayden Simpson – Southern Arkansas
1B, Zach Cates – West Florida
1B, Ryan McCrory – Alabama-Huntsville