Crusaders no-hit KVA in Finals rematch
By JOHN CATE JCATE@SANFORDHERALD.COM 4 hrs ago
State championships in baseball cannot be won in March, only in May.
But messages can certainly be sent in March, and Grace Christian threw down the gauntlet to new-found rival Kerr-Vance Academy in the Crusaders’ home opener Thursday evening.
The Spartans, who have won the last four NCISAA 1A state championships and spoiled Grace’s perfect season on the final day of last year’s state championship series, were back in town for their annual early-season meeting with Grace.
The only ones doing any celebrating this time were the ones wearing green. Crusader pitcher Joseph Taylor threw a complete-game no-hitter at the Spartans, Brandon Crabtree hit a ball out of the park, and Griffin Matthews had one of the finest at-bats you’d ever see in a baseball game to earn a bases-loaded walk and an insurance run for the home team. When it was all over, Grace had a 2-0 victory.
Taylor, a senior who transferred in from Apex Friendship prior to the season, allowed three walks to go with 17 strikeouts. He threw 108 pitches, 68 of them for strikes, and the only trouble he ran into was in the seventh and final inning of the game.
Staked to a 2-0 lead, Taylor found himself in a jam when he lost leadoff man Tim Hudson on a full-count pitch, and then Shane Musselman beat out a sharply-hit ball that went off Grace first baseman Matthews and caromed to second baseman Cole Faulk. It appeared as if Musselman was out by a half-step on Faulk’s throw back to first, but the umpire called him safe and there was nothing the Crusaders could do about it.
Except shut down the Spartans, which they had done all evening and proceeded to do again.
The next KVA batter tried to bunt both runners over, but on the two-strike pitch, he sent the ball right behind home plate and Grace catcher Jarret Crabtree turned it into an out. The Spartans’ Tanner Rigsbee worked the count full, but Taylor caught him looking on 3-2 for out number two.
The final batter was up 2-1 in the count, but Taylor fired two pitches past him to end the game.
In a pitchers’ duel between Taylor and the Spartans’ Tim Hudson, who held Grace off the board in the first three innings, the Crusaders drew first blood with one out in the fourth and Brandon Crabtree facing a 2-2 count. He drove the ball into right-center field, where it kept carrying until it cleared the fence for a home run and a 1-0 lead.
The Crusaders got an insurance run in the last of the sixth. Jarret Crabtree opened the inning with a single to right on a full-count pitch, only the third hit of the day for Grace off Hudson. Landon Jones grounded out, but he got Jarret to second on the play and forced the Spartans to intentionally walk Brandon Crabtree, who they had not gotten out all game. Hudson then plunked Jesse Mitchell to load the bases.
KVA got the next man, but Matthews was next, and he quickly got behind 0-2 in the count. However, the junior isn’t bothered by tough spots. In last year’s final game, he homered to briefly get the Crusaders back into it. This time, he fought all the way back to a full count, fouling off three pitches, narrowly missing a grand slam on the last one before getting three consecutive balls for a walk. Jarret Crabtree scored and it was 2-0.
The closest the Spartans (2-1) came to a hit was in the fourth inning, when Hudson led off and hit a soft line drive well into right field, only for Faulk to run deep into the outfield grass and make the play.
Grace’s third hit was a line single by Jesse Mitchell in the fourth, right after the Brandon Crabtree homer, but KVA got the next two outs to end that inning.
The win gives the Crusaders, now 2-0 on the season, the inside track on the No. 1 ranking when MaxPreps starts rating teams. However, it doesn’t take care of the unfinished business from last May. As Grace came off the field, they congratulated Taylor but celebrated no more than any other game. The message was sent, and no doubt heard by the Spartans, but a lot of work remains to be done.
The work resumes Friday evening at home against cross-town rival Lee Christian.
By JOHN CATE JCATE@SANFORDHERALD.COM 4 hrs ago
State championships in baseball cannot be won in March, only in May.
But messages can certainly be sent in March, and Grace Christian threw down the gauntlet to new-found rival Kerr-Vance Academy in the Crusaders’ home opener Thursday evening.
The Spartans, who have won the last four NCISAA 1A state championships and spoiled Grace’s perfect season on the final day of last year’s state championship series, were back in town for their annual early-season meeting with Grace.
The only ones doing any celebrating this time were the ones wearing green. Crusader pitcher Joseph Taylor threw a complete-game no-hitter at the Spartans, Brandon Crabtree hit a ball out of the park, and Griffin Matthews had one of the finest at-bats you’d ever see in a baseball game to earn a bases-loaded walk and an insurance run for the home team. When it was all over, Grace had a 2-0 victory.
Taylor, a senior who transferred in from Apex Friendship prior to the season, allowed three walks to go with 17 strikeouts. He threw 108 pitches, 68 of them for strikes, and the only trouble he ran into was in the seventh and final inning of the game.
Staked to a 2-0 lead, Taylor found himself in a jam when he lost leadoff man Tim Hudson on a full-count pitch, and then Shane Musselman beat out a sharply-hit ball that went off Grace first baseman Matthews and caromed to second baseman Cole Faulk. It appeared as if Musselman was out by a half-step on Faulk’s throw back to first, but the umpire called him safe and there was nothing the Crusaders could do about it.
Except shut down the Spartans, which they had done all evening and proceeded to do again.
The next KVA batter tried to bunt both runners over, but on the two-strike pitch, he sent the ball right behind home plate and Grace catcher Jarret Crabtree turned it into an out. The Spartans’ Tanner Rigsbee worked the count full, but Taylor caught him looking on 3-2 for out number two.
The final batter was up 2-1 in the count, but Taylor fired two pitches past him to end the game.
In a pitchers’ duel between Taylor and the Spartans’ Tim Hudson, who held Grace off the board in the first three innings, the Crusaders drew first blood with one out in the fourth and Brandon Crabtree facing a 2-2 count. He drove the ball into right-center field, where it kept carrying until it cleared the fence for a home run and a 1-0 lead.
The Crusaders got an insurance run in the last of the sixth. Jarret Crabtree opened the inning with a single to right on a full-count pitch, only the third hit of the day for Grace off Hudson. Landon Jones grounded out, but he got Jarret to second on the play and forced the Spartans to intentionally walk Brandon Crabtree, who they had not gotten out all game. Hudson then plunked Jesse Mitchell to load the bases.
KVA got the next man, but Matthews was next, and he quickly got behind 0-2 in the count. However, the junior isn’t bothered by tough spots. In last year’s final game, he homered to briefly get the Crusaders back into it. This time, he fought all the way back to a full count, fouling off three pitches, narrowly missing a grand slam on the last one before getting three consecutive balls for a walk. Jarret Crabtree scored and it was 2-0.
The closest the Spartans (2-1) came to a hit was in the fourth inning, when Hudson led off and hit a soft line drive well into right field, only for Faulk to run deep into the outfield grass and make the play.
Grace’s third hit was a line single by Jesse Mitchell in the fourth, right after the Brandon Crabtree homer, but KVA got the next two outs to end that inning.
The win gives the Crusaders, now 2-0 on the season, the inside track on the No. 1 ranking when MaxPreps starts rating teams. However, it doesn’t take care of the unfinished business from last May. As Grace came off the field, they congratulated Taylor but celebrated no more than any other game. The message was sent, and no doubt heard by the Spartans, but a lot of work remains to be done.
The work resumes Friday evening at home against cross-town rival Lee Christian.
