Devils head to state playoff for fourth consecutive year

Tyler Beale is shown driving in a run for LCHS during the Red Devils' game against Monticello May 1. By winning their last three region games, the Devils earned a berth in the state playoffs. Lincoln County will face Gordon Lee High School in the first round Friday, May 11, at 2 p.m. in Chickamauga.

With their backs to the wall, the LCHS Red Devils swept through three region games to advance to the state baseball playoffs for the fourth consecutive year.

The Devils played their most consistent games of the season as they bagged three "must wins" against region opponents who had previously defeated them.

As it now stands, LCHS will face Gordon Lee High School in a doubleheader set for Friday, May 11, at 2 p.m. in Chickamauga. In the event of a tie, the tie-breaker will be held Saturday, May 12, at 11 a.m.

"Last week was a great week for our baseball team," said Billy Beale, head baseball coach at LCHS. "In must-win situations, the team seemed to really come together and play some outstanding baseball. The week was truly a team effort, with everybody contributing. We got clutch hitting, clutch pitching, and played good defense when we really needed it."

In the first must-win region game played Tuesday, May 1, Austin Goldman's grand slam home run propelled LCHS to an 18-9 victory over the Monticello Purple Hurricanes to keep the Devils' hopes alive for the 2007 season.

Monticello jumped out front in the first inning to grab a 1-0 lead, but the Devils came right back. Goldman doubled, traveled to third on a single by Trey Bailey, and scored on a Monticello balk.

The Purple Hurricanes reclaimed the lead (4-1) in the second with four singles and two walks. The Devils began wresting it back when Josh Hollimon and Crafton Reed started the bottom of the inning with back-toback singles. Stacy McClendon, a courtesy runner for Hollimon, scored on David Lee's ground ball out, and Reed scored on a single by Tyler Beale to make the score 4-3.

Consecutive doubles by Bailey and Tristan Wynn launched the Devils' scoring drive in the third. Bailey scored, and Hollimon singled in Wynn to give LCHS a lead it would not relinquish.

Lincoln County then broke the game wide open with seven runs in the bottom of the fourth. Lee, Beale, and Alex Bradford all singled to load the bases, setting the table for Goldman, whose grand slam cleared the left field fence to give the Devils a 9- 4 lead. Bailey followed with a single and scored on Kiece Crite's triple. Wynn walked and promptly stole second; Crite scored on Reed's sacri- fice fly; and Wynn scored on Lee's second single of the inning.

The Hurricanes tried to mount a comeback in the fifth with two runs, but the Devils turned up the heat with four runs. Bradford walked, stole second, and scored on Goldman's double. Goldman then scored on a single by Crite, who went on to score on Hollimon's single. Hollimon later scored on another balk giving the Red Devils a 16-7 lead.

Once again, Monticello would not go quietly. The Hurricanes added two more runs in the sixth, but the Devils answered with two runs of their own. Beale singled and stole second and third; Goldman walked and stole second; and both scored on Bailey's fourth hit of the game, a double which brought the final score to 18-9.

Monticello tried to make yet another comeback attempt in the seventh. After the Hurricanes loaded the bases with no outs, Goldman came to the mound to stop the rally. He got a pop fly to short, a strikeout, and a weak ground ball to first to end both the rally and the game.

"We had to win three games this week to get into the playoffs," stated Coach Beale. "This was just the first step, but it was a big, important one. The guys played hard - our bats really came alive with 22 hits."

Reed earned his first varsity win for the Devils. Leading hitters were Bailey (4-for-5, 3 RBIs); Goldman (3- for-4, 5 RBIs); Hollimon (3-for-4); Beale (3-for-5, 3 RBIs), and Lee (2- for-4).

The Red Devils' second must-win region game took place Wednesday, May 2, against Wilkinson County, which came to Burke Field with a 19- 4 season record.

LCHS got off to a good start in the bottom of the first with a triple by Goldman, who scored when Bailey reached on a throwing error by the Warrior's shortstop. Crite walked, and both runners scored on a triple to right field by Wynn, giving the Devils an early 3-0 lead.

Wilkinson scored four runs in the second and third innings to take the lead, but LCHS fought right back. A single by Wynn was followed by Hollimon's long home run to left for a lead the Devils would not give up for the remainder of the game. Reed then doubled and scored on a double by Beale, giving Lincoln County a 6- 4 lead.

The Warriors added their final run in the seventh on a home run, but Goldman held them there to pick up his first win in relief of Crite.

"Timely hitting and clutch pitching carried the day for us," said Coach Beale. "We got the hits with men on base, and our pitchers were able to pitch us out of threatening situations in the early innings. Wilkinson was in first place until they lost to GMC earlier in the week, so this was not just a huge, season-saving win, it was also a victory over a tough opponent."

Wynn (2-for-3) was the only LCHS player with more than one hit.

On Friday, May 4, Lincoln County traveled to Monticello for a region playoff game against the Purple Hurricanes.

Sophomore pitchers Dalton Tank- ersley and Crafton Reed scattered four hits to lead the Devils into the state playoffs.

"You can't praise Dalton and Crafton enough for the job they had to do for us on the mound last week and during the season as a whole," Coach Beale stated.

He also praised the Red Devils' hitters. "Earlier in the season, when the pitching was a little shaky, Kiece (Crite), Tyler (Beale), and Austin (Goldman) kept us in the game with their bats. Now, the hitting and pitching, combined with a much improved defense, have allowed us to gel as a team."

In Friday's game against Monticello, the Devils fell behind the Hurricanes 1-0 but took the lead for keeps in the fourth inning. Bradford reached on a Hurricane error; Goldman singled; and both crossed the plate on a double by Bailey, who scored the winning run on a fielder's choice.

Monticello added a run in the fourth to make the score 3-2. The Devils countered the run in the sixth when Bailey reached on a fielder's choice and scored on Crite's two-out triple to up the score to 4-2.

LCHS added three insurance runs in the top of the seventh. Hollimon singled to lead off the inning. Reed then doubled to put runners on second and third. Lee singled in McClendon, Hollimon's courtesy runner, and Beale singled in Larry Reeb, who was running for Reed. Lee scored the Devils' seventh run of the game on a sacrifice fly by Goldman, making the final score 7-2.

For more information about the state playoffs, contact LCHS at 706- 359-3121.