Baylor Catcher Keaton Davis tracks down a pop fly behind home plate against Pope John Paul. Davis made the catch for the out, the Red Raiders took it on the chin from the Knights, 5-1, and were eliminated from Spring Fling contention.
photo by Dennis Norwood
Gene Etter has coached his last baseball game for the Baylor Red Raiders.
The legendary coach, who has won more than 800 games in his 41 years of coaching, had announced at the beginning of the season that this would be his last.
Nobody ever wants to plan their last game or their last whatever and nobody wanted the season – and Etter’s sterling career – to end like it did on a muggy Sunday afternoon at Baylor’s Wyatt McMahan Field.
Baylor had swept Pope John Paul three straight games about two weeks ago as the Red Raiders averaged more than 10 runs per game.
That wasn’t the case this time around as the Knights won the first two and will be headed to the Spring Fling that starts Tuesday afternoon.
PJP had won Friday’s rain-delayed contest by a 6-1 final while Sunday’s deciding game was similar as the visitors from Nashville prevailed by 5-1.
The difference in Sunday’s game came down to offensive execution.
The Knights did and the Red Raiders did not.
Both teams finished with eight hits, but the Knights got key hits with runners on base while Baylor was unable to do so.
“We’re going to Wilson Central,” blurted PJP coach Michael Brown after his team had clinched the final spot in the D-II Final Four, which the Wildcats will host again in Lebanon.
“We talked all year about overcoming adversity and that’s what we did today. We played our worst baseball ever when they swept us two weeks ago, but we got it back together this weekend.
“We knew it would be tough as Baylor has a fine team, but them not scoring in the fourth inning after loading the bases with nobody out was definitely the turning point in the game for us. What a performance by Jack Gallagher with the bases loaded,” the coach continued.
Gallagher, the senior starting pitcher for the Knights, escaped the storm in the fourth, but he couldn’t do it two innings in a row and was pulled after allowing leadoff singles to Baylor’s Will Jumper and Hunter Holland.
Brown called on junior Dalton Heath, who came in and retired the side without allowing any runs.
“Dalton Heath is the hardest working kid in our program and he’s been waiting all year for a situation like that. He came in and shut them down,” Brown added.
The Red Raiders finally scored their only run in the sixth, but by that time, Pope John Paul had a comfortable lead and the single tally wasn’t nearly enough.
Losing pitcher Gavin Roberson led off the inning with a single and later scored on a groundout by Jumper, but Heath escaped any further damage before retiring the Red Raiders in order in the seventh.
Brown had a chance to reflect on Baylor’s Etter and the impression he’s made in recent years.
“What an honor and a privilege to coach against him for the past seven years. There aren’t many coaches like him anymore. To be able to witness his coaching style and to be able to learn from him has been really special for me. You know he’s hurting right now, but he exudes class,” the opposing coach praised.
Etter, whose younger brother Bobby had traveled to Chattanooga from California to watch Baylor, was somewhat subdued as normal following the game. He’s always been a quiet man of very few words, but you could tell that this one was just a little bit different for other defeats.
“Pope John Paul played well, so you have to give them a lot of credit for that,” Etter expressed as he stood alone in the Baylor dugout following the game.
“We just didn’t get the runners around , but we gave our all. Baseball can be a funny game and that’s just the way it goes sometimes. This isn’t the same team we played two weeks ago.
“I really didn’t start thinking about this being the last game until the final inning, but it was quick and sweet. Quick for us and sweet for them, but I told my guys that I loved them and that they had been a great group to be around this year,” Etter added.
Ben Brooks and Logan Taylor both had two hits for the Knights while Holland and Sterling Stewart both had two for Baylor.
Roberson was the loser after allowing five runs on seven hits in three and a third innings. He also walked four and hit one.
Gallagher was the winner with no runs allowed in four innings. He gave up five hits while striking out three and walking three. He too hit one.
Baylor’s season ends at 21-7 while Pope John Paul is now 24-10 and will face Christian Brothers in Tuesday’s first round of the state tournament at 4 p.m.
(CST).
BAYLOR 000 001 0 – 1 8 1
POPE JOHN PAUL 201 200 x – 5 8 0
Roberson, Brogdon (4) and Baker; Gallagher, Heath (5) and Telli.
(Email John Hunt at nomarathonmoose@comcast.net)
Baylor's Tate Prater makes it safely to the bag on a PJP2 pick-off attempt. Ryan Hatten attempts the put out for Pope John Paul.
photo by Dennis Norwood