LEBANON, Tenn. – McCallie right-hander Jackson Mathis saved his very best performance for his swan song.
Mathis, a senior who has decided not to pursue an extension of his baseball career while attending Auburn University, threw a four-hitter at Briarcrest on Wednesday night and led the Blue Tornado to a 5-1 win and into the TSSAA Division II-AA state championship game.
McCallie, booted out of the winner’s bracket a few hours earlier in an 8-2 loss to Brentwood Academy at Wilson Central High School, responded well to the loss and will play the Eagles for the title on Thursday at 12:30 p.m.
CT at Reese Smith Jr. Field on the Middle Tennessee State University campus.
The Blue Tornado (22-14) would have to beat the Eagles (22-12) twice to capture the school’s third state title. An “if necessary” game would be played Thursday at 5 p.m.
On a cool night with the temperature hovering around 57 degrees, Mathis had a shutout for five innings. Briarcrest’s Trey Harrington doubled in the sixth, Chase Martin singled and a one-out walk loaded the bases. Harrington scored on a fielder’s choice.
“My last two outings were not so good and before the game throwing in the bullpen I didn’t have it,” Mathis said. “But during the game I was feeling it. I knew this would be my last time to pitch and it’s the best feeling ever.”
Mathis struck out 10 – he whiffed Connor Shamblin and D.J. Robinson each three times – and walked one in a sterling effort.
After the run-scoring fielder’s choice, Mathis struck out Robinson to end the threat.
“This year is my first in the regional rotation,” Mathis said. “I pitched some in non-region games last year, but not a whole lot. Getting that last strikeout (in the sixth) gave me more confidence."
McCallie coach Tim Costo planned to use Mathis against the Eagles, knowing full well a loss would end his team’s season.
Mathis didn’t disappoint.
“We wanted to pull him in the seventh because he lost a little the inning before,” McCallie coach Tim Costo said. “But he’s such a competitor and he wanted the ball, knowing it was his final time to pitch. He’s our guy and we had confidence in him to pitch this game. There was no discussion about anything else.”
Mathis was up to the task in the final inning, retiring Jeffery Hamsley on an infield grounder, getting Matthew McDaniel on a popup and inducing Christian Satterfield into a game-ending fly-ball out to center.
“He had his good stuff tonight despite not having much in the bullpen warming up,” Costo said. “His curveball was nasty.”
And Mathis threw the curve regularly, often multiple times to the same batter.
“That was really my best pitch tonight,” Mathis said.
McCallie opened the tournament with a 1-0 win over Briarcrest on Tuesday when Corbin Brooksbank fired a five-hitter and Cameron Costo delivered a game-winning sacrifice fly in the seventh for the only run.
Mathis ran the consecutive scoreless inning streak to 12 against the Saints before Harrington scored in the sixth.
On Wednesday, the Blue Tornado jumped on Briarcrest starter Wes Yerty for two runs coming on shortstop J.D. Day’s single to center.
McCallie pushed the lead to 5-0 after Cameron Costo and John Behrends each scored on Briarcrest errors and Mathis, who had two singles in the game, scored from third on a balk by left-handed reliever Parker Hubbard.
Hubbard checked the Tornado the rest of the way, but had to escape a bases-loaded mess in the seventh after two were out. Behrends walked and Mathis and Dane Beard laced singles to left field. Hubbard struck out Day for the second straight time to end the threat.
Tim Costo said he plans to start John Behrends against Brentwood in Thursday’s title game.
“That’s my plan but it my turn into pitching by committee,” the coach said.
Chattanooga’s other baseball entry in this year’s tourney, Signal Mountain, suffered another tough day and was eliminated by Lexington 11-0. CAK thumped the Eagles 10-2 on Tuesday.
Lexington (28-8) scored five runs in the first inning, added two in the second and rolled to an 11-0 victory in six innings, eliminating the Eagles from their first state tournament. Against CAK, the Eagles (29-11) fell behind 6-0 after two innings.
“You can’t replace the experience of coming here and participating in this tournament,” Eagles coach Josh Gandy said. “It was a great experience for the young players and gives them a goal to shoot for again. It’s not easy to get here. If we’re fortunate to make it back, they’ll know what to expect in such a big tournament.”
“I’m proud of these guys. They won three districts and finished runner-up once, and they won a sectional game to get here.”
Raleigh Odle pitched one inning and turned his attention to offense. He was 2-for-4 and drove in three runs for the Tigers. Landon Hendrix duplicated Odle’s numbers. Darrius Bomer had three hits in five at-bats, adding to Lexington’s 16-hit attack.
Lucas Buckley worked five innings and got the win. He gave up the only two hits by the Eagles – singles by Garrett Hensley and Briston Reese.
Signal Mountain’s Seth Wicker gave up nine hits and seven runs while working four innings. Mark Jones allowed seven hits and four runs in two innings.
LINESCORES
McCallie 023 000 0 – 5 6 1
Briarcrest 000 001 0 – 1 4 2
Mathis and Riemer; Yerty, Hubbard (3) and McDaniel.
Brentwood Academy 200 600 0 – 8 10 2
McCallie 000 011 0 – 2 6 2
Tulloch and Rosen; Shell, Fannon (4) and Riemer.
Lexington 520 004 – 11 16 1
Signal Mountain 000 000 – 0 2 0
Odle, Buckley (2) and Hendrix; Wicker, Jones (5) and Hensley.
(Contact Larry Fleming at larryfleming44@gmail.com and on Twitter @larryfleming44)