The Carmi-White County Baseball team traveled to Fairfield on Wednesday night to battle Harrisburg in the IHSA 2A Regional Semifinal, and the battle of the Bulldogs was a battle all the way to the end.
The Maroon Bulldogs came in as definite underdogs. Harrisburg had won 21 games entering Wednesday, and one of those wins came over Carmi back on April 23 by a score of 17-1. But as always in regional time, records and previous scores do not matter.
In what was predicted to be an offensive slugfest, quickly turned into a pitchers duel with both defenses shining.
Both starting pitchers, Ian Crabb and Travor Mason, were dealing from the opening pitch.
Through the first three innings, neither team had recorded a base hit. That would change in the top of the 4th inning.
Merick Millhorn led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch, followed by a 4-pitch walk to Maxon O’Daniel. With runners on 1st and 2nd with one out, Cade Allen came through with one of his biggest hits of his career, a line drive into right field that drove in Millhorn to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.
That score would remain the same for the next two innings, as neither team recorded a hit in the 5th, but you can only keep the Harrisburg offense quiet for so long. Even if it means small ball.
Harrisburg led off the bottom of the 6th with back-to-back singles. A sacrifice bunt off the bat of Dax Randolph moved the runners over and Harrisburg had runners of 2nd and 3rd with just one out.
Aidan Hankins placed down another successful bunt, this one dying on the infield grass between home plate and the pitchers mound, allowing the runner to score from 3rd to tie the game at 1-1. Carmi was able to pick off a runner at 1st, followed by a infield pop up ended the inning with the score tied.
Hayden Sauls led off the top of the 7th inning with a hard-hit single into center field. Sauls would steal 2nd, and the Bulldogs had the go-ahead run in scoring position, but three straight strikeouts ended the threat and we went to the bottom of the 7th tied at 1-1.
Reed Rider singled with one out in the bottom of the 7th, he then made his way to 3rd on two passed balls. With runners of 1st and 3rd with one out, Harrisburg executed the suicide squeeze successfully. Xander Robinson bunted it directly back to Mason on the mound, but his shovel to the plate would not be in time to tag out Rider as he scored the winning run. Jubilation erupted from the Harrisburg dugout as the Purple Bulldogs rushed the field in triumph, meanwhile the Maroon Bulldogs walked off the field for the final time in agony.
Harrisburg punched their ticket to the Regional Championship Game with a 2-1 victory.
“I can’t thank these guys enough for their effort,” said head coach Travis Black. “That was a regional championship, or even sectional championship performance from our guys, but we came up just short.”
The Bulldogs end their season with an 11-13-1 record, and the careers of Tyson Spicer, Ty Hollingsworth, Gavin Holloman, Travor Mason, Mitchel Edwards, and Cade Allen come to an end.
Congratulations to Coach Black and the Bulldogs on a great season!
