Wesleyan captures state crown
THOMASVILLE — Wesleyan Christian kept playing its game. And, in the end, it was good enough to win a state championship. The top-seeded Trojans, keyed by timely hitting in the second inning and an outstanding performance by pitcher Luke Davis throughout, built a lead early and cruised past second- seeded High Point Christian 5-1 in the second game of the NCISAA 3A baseball championship series Friday at Finch Field.
With the win, Wesleyan swept the best-of-three series — which marked the fi rst time the crosstown rivals met in the championship— and clinched its third state title in 11 finals appearances.
“Anytime you can win a state championship, it’s a special time,” Trojans coach Scott Davissaid. “Each time a team wins a title, that team is remembered just a little bit more. It’s just special. And I love it for the seniors and the kids. It hasn’t been just one or two guys — we’ve been getting contributions from everybody.”
Nate Blakeney and Koty Proctor each had two hits — including key run-scoring hits during the second inning — to lead Wesleyan (23-6), which returned to the state championship series after losing to Charlotte Christian last year. Adam Lassiter and Mark McLamb also each added a hit.
In the second, Proctor had an RBI double down the left-field line and then, four batters later, Blakeney ripped a grand slam off the manual scoreboard inleft. That gave the Trojans, who also swept the Cougars to end the regular season and won thePACIS championship, a 5-0 lead. And that was plenty for Luke Davis (5-1) and the defense the
rest of the way.
“I just stepped in the box wanting to hit a ball hard and drive in some runs for my team,” Blakeney said. “I tried to
hit a double and it ended up being a home run — it was great. … It just feels amazing. We overcame a lot of battles this year. So, it feels great to finally have our hard work pay off.”
Luke Davis, whom Scott Davis decided to pitch in game 2 and saved Brett Kerr y for a possible game 3, limited HPCA to one run on eight hits and two walks while striking out three. He quickly and pitched to contact, allowing his defense — which turned a pivotal double play in the first — to make plays.
“That’s how I pitch,” Luke Davis said. “I’m a contactpitcher, and so I just try to take advantage of how anxious
they are to hit it. Just fly balls and ground balls. I’ve got to give credit to my team. They were catching ever ything. Nate made a great catch, infield fielded ground balls — everything.”
The Cougars (27-6), in their second final at the 3A level, weren’t really out of reach throughout the game, despite the early deficit. But they couldn’t quite string together enough hits to move runners into scoring position and then ultimately turn them into runs. Meanwhile, their pitching issued seven walks for the game. So, they were to work much harder during key stretches.
Dylan Wilkinson’s solo home run in the fourth inning brought HPCA within 5-1. But after the first inning, in which they loaded the bases with one out,the Cougars had only one player (Wilkinson) reach third base the rest of the game. Wilkinson and Brody Lawson each finished with two hits, while Luke Gesell(6-2) took the pitching loss
in five complete innings.
“Our pitchers have done a great job all year,” HPCA coach Corey Gesell said. “But , for whatever reason,
last night and today we str uggled throwing strikes. After the first couple innings, Luke settled down and really threw well. That pitch to Nate was supposed to be inside — farther inside than what it was, obviously,” he said with a smile. “But he put a good swing on it, and that was the difference. “Anytime you lose in the championship, it’s going to be disappointing,” he said. “But there were still a lot of good things that happened this year. The guys had some great wins. To even play in the championship, you’ve got to beat some good teams. So, as young men, they’re obviously disappointed, but hopefully they’ll look back and say, ‘Wow, we did have a great season.’
THOMASVILLE — Wesleyan Christian kept playing its game. And, in the end, it was good enough to win a state championship. The top-seeded Trojans, keyed by timely hitting in the second inning and an outstanding performance by pitcher Luke Davis throughout, built a lead early and cruised past second- seeded High Point Christian 5-1 in the second game of the NCISAA 3A baseball championship series Friday at Finch Field.
With the win, Wesleyan swept the best-of-three series — which marked the fi rst time the crosstown rivals met in the championship— and clinched its third state title in 11 finals appearances.
“Anytime you can win a state championship, it’s a special time,” Trojans coach Scott Davissaid. “Each time a team wins a title, that team is remembered just a little bit more. It’s just special. And I love it for the seniors and the kids. It hasn’t been just one or two guys — we’ve been getting contributions from everybody.”
Nate Blakeney and Koty Proctor each had two hits — including key run-scoring hits during the second inning — to lead Wesleyan (23-6), which returned to the state championship series after losing to Charlotte Christian last year. Adam Lassiter and Mark McLamb also each added a hit.
In the second, Proctor had an RBI double down the left-field line and then, four batters later, Blakeney ripped a grand slam off the manual scoreboard inleft. That gave the Trojans, who also swept the Cougars to end the regular season and won thePACIS championship, a 5-0 lead. And that was plenty for Luke Davis (5-1) and the defense the
rest of the way.
“I just stepped in the box wanting to hit a ball hard and drive in some runs for my team,” Blakeney said. “I tried to
hit a double and it ended up being a home run — it was great. … It just feels amazing. We overcame a lot of battles this year. So, it feels great to finally have our hard work pay off.”
Luke Davis, whom Scott Davis decided to pitch in game 2 and saved Brett Kerr y for a possible game 3, limited HPCA to one run on eight hits and two walks while striking out three. He quickly and pitched to contact, allowing his defense — which turned a pivotal double play in the first — to make plays.
“That’s how I pitch,” Luke Davis said. “I’m a contactpitcher, and so I just try to take advantage of how anxious
they are to hit it. Just fly balls and ground balls. I’ve got to give credit to my team. They were catching ever ything. Nate made a great catch, infield fielded ground balls — everything.”
The Cougars (27-6), in their second final at the 3A level, weren’t really out of reach throughout the game, despite the early deficit. But they couldn’t quite string together enough hits to move runners into scoring position and then ultimately turn them into runs. Meanwhile, their pitching issued seven walks for the game. So, they were to work much harder during key stretches.
Dylan Wilkinson’s solo home run in the fourth inning brought HPCA within 5-1. But after the first inning, in which they loaded the bases with one out,the Cougars had only one player (Wilkinson) reach third base the rest of the game. Wilkinson and Brody Lawson each finished with two hits, while Luke Gesell(6-2) took the pitching loss
in five complete innings.
“Our pitchers have done a great job all year,” HPCA coach Corey Gesell said. “But , for whatever reason,
last night and today we str uggled throwing strikes. After the first couple innings, Luke settled down and really threw well. That pitch to Nate was supposed to be inside — farther inside than what it was, obviously,” he said with a smile. “But he put a good swing on it, and that was the difference. “Anytime you lose in the championship, it’s going to be disappointing,” he said. “But there were still a lot of good things that happened this year. The guys had some great wins. To even play in the championship, you’ve got to beat some good teams. So, as young men, they’re obviously disappointed, but hopefully they’ll look back and say, ‘Wow, we did have a great season.’
