Cougars Are State Champs
The Piedmont Academy baseball team overcame weather delays as well as the Trinity Christian School Crusaders Friday and Saturday to capture the GISA Class AA state baseball championship.
Coach Danny Camp’s team ended the season on an 18-game winning streak, but there are no more opponents for the Cougars to worry about now. It was the school’s first state baseball title since 1992, a time before any of the players on the 2014 team were born.
“It feels great,” said Camp, who has coached the program for the last 17 years. “Before we finished practice on Thursday, Coach (Dan) Funt said we may have to show some patience with the weather and to wait on certain things to develop. It definitely took some patience from players, coaches, fans and the umpires.”
Piedmont won the first game, which covered two days, 3-0, before holding on for a 4-2 win in the second contest. The Cougars were undefeated in the state playoffs, sweeping all four opponents on their way to earning the championship trophy.
“There’s nothing like this,” said Piedmont senior Mac Brittain as the celebration began. “We knew we had to work hard to make it happen. It’s a great way to go out.”
Both teams had to battle the weather almost as much as each other. A doubleheader was scheduled for Friday, but the teams only were able to play two complete innings before lightning in the area halted the action. A heavy downpour Friday then completely eliminated any chance of resuming play.
Piedmont coaches, parents and volunteers worked until dark Friday night and returned to work early Saturday morning to try and get the fields in playable shape. The teams returned to the diamond at 3 p.m. Saturday and finished the first game. However, another lightning delay in the second inning of game two sent the teams and fans for cover once again.
Finally, play was able to resume and the final out was
recorded with just enough daylight remaining.
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Piedmont built a 4-0 lead in game two before Trinity climbed back in the contest with two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Crusaders then loaded the bases in the bottom of the seventh (Trinity was the designated home team in the second game) and had cleanup batter Andy Coleman at the plate. Coleman, however, grounded out to Zach Beggs on the pitcher’s mound for the final out. The celebration was then on for Piedmont players, coaches and fans.
Beggs, who had earned the win in game one, was called on in the second game after Brittain had worked 5.2 innings. He closed out the bottom of the sixth and then worked out of trouble in the seventh when it appeared Trinity was primed to at least tie the contest.
I was just trying to stay focused,” Beggs said after the final out. “I had to settle down and just throw strikes. I admit I was a little nervous. There was so much on the line. I just tried to keep throwing it in there.”
Well after the final out was recorded, Piedmont players took in the moment, posing for photos and accepting congratulations from parents, fans and alumni.
“It’s like being on top of the world,” said Malcom Tyler, one of three seniors on the 2014 team. “We just tried to hold on the best we could in that last inning. Winning the championship is the best way to go out for myself and the seniors.”
Camp was still processing the accomplishment later in the weekend.
“I know the team did it, but I’m not sure it has sunk in,” Camp said. “I may need a few more days. Right now my mind is still racing. I am just excited for everyone involved. When you think back on what an accomplishment this really has been, it is simply amazing.”
GAME ONE
Piedmont took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when Josh Williams delivered an RBI double to score Tyler Mills, who had walked earlier in the inning.
Neither team would score in the second inning and the game was delayed in the top of the third. Eventually, the games were postponed Friday and moved to Saturday.
When the teams finally had the chance to return to action, the game resumed where it had left off in the top of the third inning with one out.
The score remained 1-0 until the bottom of the fifth inning when Jared Smith had a leadoff infield single. Smith advanced to second on a wild pitch and then advanced to third on a sacrifice bunt by Mills. After Trinity intentionally walked Beggs, Williams delivered an RBI double for a 2-0 lead.
Luke Andrews then picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 cushion.
Beggs, who finished the game allowing just two hits and recording 10 strikeouts with one walk, put Trinity down in order in the top of the sixth and the top of the seventh to register the win.
Trinity’s Cam Soles also went the distance allowing eight hits while striking out three and walking two.
GAME TWO
The teams returned to the field for the second game of the series with Piedmont as the designated visitor on the scoreboard. Smith had a leadoff single to start the contest and moved to second on a ground out by Mills. Beggs then put the first run of the game on the board with a sacrifice fly to center field.
The Cougars added two more runs in the top of the third as Hunter Knox drilled a leadoff double. Smith and Mills later walked in the inning to load the bases. Beggs then delivered another sacrifice fly which ultimately led to two runs reaching home.
Piedmont seemed to take control with another run in the top of the fourth. Mack Brady had a single which scored Noah Quick (who was the courtesy runner for Brittain). Knox, who had reached on an infield single, attempted to score but was called out at home despite a brief dispute by Camp.
Brittain had sailed through the first four innings but ran into some trouble in the bottom of the fifth as Trinity scored its first two runs of the game as well as the series. After singles by Luke Price and Chase Bassett, Spenser Ford drove in the first Crusader run with a single. Trinity then had runners on second and third with no outs.
Brittain recorded the first out of the inning on a pop out to Tyler at first base. A sacrifice fly brought home the second Trinity run but the Crusaders left one runner stranded.
After working into the sixth inning, Brittain gave way to Beggs who got a grounder back to the mound to end the inning.
Trinity threatened again in the bottom of the seventh, but was not able to tie the game or win it (the Crusaders had the final at-bat as the designated home team.)
“It’s definitely amazing,” said Andrews. “I was nervous but I had a good feeling before the games today. It may take a little while before it all sinks in.”
Trinity’s Wyatt Payne worked 6.1 innings before Matt East closed out the top of the seventh. Payne gave up five hits while striking out five and walking six.
Crusaders coach Gary Sanders was ejected in the top of the fifth inning for disputing two pitch calls by the home plate umpire. Whether or not it was an intentional ploy by the coach to motivate his team, it did seem to work as Trinity began climbing back into the contest after his ejection. Sanders had disputed several calls throughout the two games.
“This group deserved this,” said Piedmont assistant coach Dan Funt. “It has been quite a journey this season. We are just so proud they were able to experience this.”
For Camp, Saturday’s state championship was the culmination of 17 years of work with the baseball program.
“I told my wife earlier in the week I knew we had a chance to win,” Camp said. “You know you have a good team but you have to do what you have been doing to that point. We knew we had the pieces in place but in the back of your mind there’s always that little bit of doubt of whether it will actually happen. This is not about me. It’s about the kids and everything they have worked so hard for.”
In capturing the program’s first state title since 1992, Piedmont set a program record for numbers of wins in a season and also captured another region title with a perfect mark in 4-AA.
