Chargers edge Crusaders in 1 vs. 2 showdown
May 9—Second-ranked Grace Christian knows what their task will be in the upcoming NCISAA 2A state baseball playoffs.
The regular season ended with a rare No. 1 vs. No. 2 nonconference battle Friday evening, as the Crusaders traveled to Goldsboro for a game against top-ranked Wayne Country Day and were edged 2-0 in a pitchers' duel that decided the top overall seed in the state 2A baseball tournament.
Grace (18-3 overall) remained at No. 2 in the rankings after the loss and received that seed in the tournament when the field was announced over the weekend. Wayne, 19-9, earned the top seed. This was the only consequence of Friday's game, since the two teams can only meet again if they play for the state championship on May 19-20 at Rockers Stadium in High Point. However, the 2A tournament is always very competitive and neither team is assured of being there simply because of a high seed.
Both teams have a bye in Tuesday's first round and will play for the first time Thursday. Neither team could face an opponent with a winning record sooner than Saturday, in the third round. However, the top eight seeds are all very competitive teams.
Friday's game was therefore mostly for pride, between two teams that know each other very well and have many connections. In fact, Wayne Country Day was literally playing its landlord. The Chargers play on one of the fields at the C35 Baseball complex, co-owned and operated by none other than Grace Christian head coach Rob Wooten. Wayne head coach Rob Pate, who graduated from the same high school as Wooten, is the director of the C35 complex when not coaching the Chargers. The teams played each other a year ago and Wayne handed Grace its only loss to another private school team. Many players on the two teams have been teammates on C35 teams.
The Crusaders will go into this year's tournament off a loss to the Chargers, but it's not a defeat anyone will hang their heads about. The game was decided on a few plays and no one from Grace will think they can't beat Wayne if a rematch occurs. But neither will doing so be easy.
Grace freshman Caleb Ellis got the start in the biggest game to date in his Crusader baseball career and pitched well, allowing just four hits in six innings with three strikeouts. Both runs he allowed, one in the second and one in the sixth, were a game of inches.
The Chargers took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second after leadoff man Braeden Collins was hit leading off. Collins moved to second on a high pitch that Grace catcher Luke Smith got a glove on but couldn't corral, and then Wayne's Davis Albert executed a sacrifice bunt that moved him to third with one out. Ellis got a weak grounder for the second out, but then the Chargers' Landon Sutton hit a hard liner to the right of Crusader shortstop Luke Garris, who missed snaring the ball by an inch as it went into center field for a run.
The sixth was similar for Ellis and the Crusaders. Wayne's Gavin Johnson singled with one out and advanced on a poor throw. Johnson moved to third on a groundout, and then scored on a single by Albert that just eluded Crusader first baseman Brandon Crabtree.
The Chargers played a schedule of exceptional strength and difficulty this season, starting with a preseason scrimmage against Lee County and continuing in a season with games against 4A Pinecrest and Richmond, both of whom Wayne was very competitive with; NCISAA 4A top-ranked High Point Wesleyan, 4A third-ranked Charlotte Christian, 2A third-ranked High Point Westchester, two games with 2A fifth-ranked Burlington School, and a split with Wake Homeschool, the No. 12 team in the entire state regardless of classification.
Wayne played like a well-tested team. In the first inning, they picked a Grace runner off to end the inning. In the third, Crusaders Garris and Smith led off with back-to-back singles and Wayne denied them anything for it, as pitcher Colin Woolard caught a sacrifice bunt attempt out of the air near the first-base line and then retired the next two batters. In the fourth, Woolard picked off another Crusader runner to end the inning.
Grace probably should have scored in the sixth, but Wayne's defense—something they are noted for—denied them again. Jarret Crabtree reached with one out on a ball that appeared to take a bad hop, and Albert couldn't field it at short. However, Charger catcher Sutton threw him out trying to steal moments later. Ellis then walked and Brandon Crabtree singled, but with two out, Wayne reliever Collins ran down a foul popup to end the inning.
Garris and Smith both walked with two down in the seventh for Grace, but the last man of the inning grounded out.
The Crusaders had one more hit (5-4) and each team had three walks. For Wayne, Woolard pitched 5 2/3 innings with five hits allowed and six strikeouts, and Collins got the last four outs for a save. Ellis was the only Grace pitcher.
The Crusaders will host either Salem Baptist or Caldwell Academy on Thursday. Those teams play in the first round Tuesday at Caldwell.
