Baylor's Jay Dill pitches during the first game against Ensworth.
photo by M.A. Locke
Baylor won the first of two TSSAA State Tournament games against Ensworth 11-0 without breaking a sweat.
The second game required seven pitching changes and a six run seventh inning before the Red Raiders walked off with a dramatic 12-11 victory.
The second game of the doubleheader was a three-hour slog. Baylor Head Coach Greg Elie was visibly tired after five hours of tournament baseball.
“I saw a lot of good stuff tonight, we overcame adversity.” Coach Elie said. “We got a lot of big plays from a lot of different guys, that’s what makes this team so good.”
The difference in intensity between the first and second games was all due to one man, Baylor pitcher Jay Dill. On Dill’s first pitch of the opening game no fewer than four scouts in the bleachers raised a gun to catch his pitch speed, which hit 92 mph.
“I just try to tune them out and keep hitting the middle.” Dill said about pitching in front of scouts.
Dill struck out eight batters and allowed only one hit in five innings in the first game of the double header, he played right field in the second.
“All the guys on this team have been through a lot together and we all like to compete,” Dill said after the game. “That’s what makes us good.”
With Dill on the mound for Baylor the first game of the double header was a dull affair, ending 11-0 in the fifth inning. Ensworth couldn’t generate anything at bat, their only notable achievement in the first game was a spectacular diving catch from second baseman Reid Buschmann.
Baylor had all the fun in the first game scoring four runs in the first inning before a five run fifth inning headlined by Hunter Herndon’s grand slam. Herndon’s bomb cleared the bases and had more than enough power to top the 315’ left field fence.
After another quick Ensworth at bat in the third inning Baylor shortstop Danny Corona joined the home run club. His smooth lefty swing launched the ball well over the right field fence. Corona had a big impact on both games for the Red Raiders, he answered every time his number was called.
A single from catcher Johnathan Larrea that brought home Carson Yates in the fourth inning meant that Baylor went into the all important fifth inning with a 11-0 lead. Dill struck the first two Ensworth batters out before walking a third and finally popping out the fourth to end the game by the 10-run-rule.
The second game of the double header was far more action packed, going into the sixth inning Baylor had established a 5-1 lead. Patrick Johnson started on the mound in the top of the sixth inning for Baylor, but five other players would take his spot before the Red Raiders managed three outs.
Dax Braemer kicked things off for the Tigers with a walk, before being forced out at second by Kenny McKinley’s single, which forced a pitching change. The new pitcher, Jacob Smith, gave up three hits and allowed three runs to score, Ensworth was now down 5-4.
Baylor had a crucial error moments later when new pitcher Cooper Kinney dropped a popped up foul ball after he collided with first baseman Vito Vallincius. With the bases loaded Kinney walked two batters allowing two runners to score. He was replaced by Gaston Carmichael who walked two batters of his own. Ensworth was now up 8-5 and they weren’t done yet.
Right Fielder Carson Cobb roped a low burner down the third base line and three runners scored with the help of an overthrow of the Baylor catcher. Going into the seventh inning Ensworth was winning 11-5.
Baylor quickly loaded the bases on a single a walk and a batter being hit by a pitch, Caleb Hampton, who was the man on the mound when Baylor finally got out of their horrible sixth inning, hit a single and brought in the first crucial run. Another two singles and a balk meant that by the time Cooper Kinney stepped up to the plate his team was only down 11-9.
Kinney blasted the ball high into the night sky and the Ensworthleft fielder totally lost track of it in the dark. Three runs scored giving Baylor the lead 12-11.
Henny Godbout took the mound for the Raiders, struck out two batters, walked the third and popped out the fourth to secure a second Baylor win and another game in the 2021 TSSAA State Baseball Tournament.
Summary: Game 1 Game 2
Baylor 451-1 11 – 10 – 0; 202-100-7 12 – 13 – 5
Ensworth 000-00 0 – 1 – 1; 001-0010-0 11 – 7 - 2
Dill and Larrea / Johnson, Smith (6), Kinney (6), Carmichael (6), Campanella (6), Hampton (6), Godbout (7) and Larrea
Woodson, Hudson (2) and Yu / Cobb, Powell (4), Yu (7) and Yu
Baylor's Cooper Kinney welcomes home run-hitting Danny Corona to home plate.
photo by M.A. Locke